Thunder Bay Public Library revisits proposal for new central branch

The Thunder Bay Public Library has not fully turned the page on its plans for a new, central library branch.

A motion going before Thunder Bay City Council on Monday proposes a branch at Intercity Shopping Centre, likely in the spot currently occupied by Sport Chek; the store will be moving to another spot in the mall, library CEO Richard Togman said.

"That space is a pretty ideal space for us," Togman said. "It's about 24,000 square feet."

That's about the same size as the Waverley branch, he said.

"It's a great spot within the mall itself," he said. "It's already got direct access right into the food court and an external exit into the parking lot, that also has a bus stop almost right in front of that external exit."

This isn't the first time the library has pitched a new branch in the mall.

The previous version of the plan would have seen the branch built in the former Lowe's store on the mall's south end.

Last summer, council voted the proposal down. Cost was a major factor. Building a new branch in the former Lowe's store would have cost more than $17 million, with the library asking the city to cover about half of that.

The new plan, Togman said, would be considerably cheaper, with the cost of building the proposed new branch coming in at just over $5 million.

"This time the mall is actually giving its own money towards the capital cost," he said. "So about 25 per cent of the cost of that five and a half million dollars, the mall is paying itself to renovate the space into a library, and with the remainder being split between the library itself and the city of Thunder Bay."

Togman noted that the city has already earmarked about $1.3 million for major library renovations, so it would need to contribute another $700,000.

Coun. Michael Zussino, who's tabling the motion at Monday's meeting — and also sits on the library board — is asking for the remaining $700,000 to come from the Renew Thunder Bay Fund.

In addition, Togman said, the mall is offering an "extremely competitive" lease rate.

CBC News contacted Intercity Shopping Centre administration for comment, but did not receive a reply.

Zussino said the central library is needed due to a lack of space at the existing branches.

"Many of the programs that we've been running have been oversubscribed," he said. "The demand is there. I think that people have seen the merit of the library and are bringing their kids to some of these programs, and adults are using them."

"It's something that's in high demand, and it's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to venture down this road."

If the new central branch were approved, it would replace the existing County Fair branch, which would close; all other existing branches would remain open.

"My biggest concern with County Fair is the neglect of the mall itself," Zussino said. "It's been really not looked after very well and there's basically three to four tenants in that whole building."

If the plan is approved, Togman said the library would likely take possession of the new space next year, and the new branch would open to the public sometime in 2027.