Rosemount Library renovation recommended

After several years of discussion, it looks like the future of the Rosemount Branch of the Ottawa Public Library is clearer as staff recommend a $2-million renovation to begin next year. Yesterday, a report was published that explores the business cases for expanding or renovating the branch through a variety of approaches. With scarce dollars the deciding factor, staff have recommended that the way forward is to renovate the existing space to better serve users. If adopted by the Library Board, that renovation would get underway in late 2018 and be completed roughly a year later.

The recommendation comes after I and the READ Rosemount group successfully asked the Library Board last fall to put a pause on proceeding with a roughly $1-million proposed renovation in the current budget. Earlier in this term of Council, I expended some significant resources to facilitate a community-wide consultation about Rosemount's future, which ultimately identified a desire in the community to build a new, bigger space. The Library Board agreed with our request to explore that, and the report outlining its options is now available.

The bottom line: the Library can't afford, with multiple other priorities on the table, to build a new library. That is disappointing but I accept the conclusion. The Library is proposing, though, to proceed with a more thorough renovation that I believe can bring some needed changes to the space.

Rosemount has languished on the Library's renovation list for years. Thanks to our efforts, we've now got a path forward and a in-depth understanding of the neighbourhood's needs as outlined in the community consultation document. I'll be at the Library Board's public meeting on Tuesday night at City Hall to address the report. If the Board accepts the staff recommendation, I'm looking forward to community consultations next year to guide the renovation that would start in late 2018.

You can read the staff recommendation here. The business case exploration is here.