THUNDER BAY — The plan for a new centralized library at Intercity Shopping Centre could be hitting a brick wall.
A report from city administration recommends maintaining the existing Thunder Bay Public Library facilities rather than supporting TBPL's master facilities plan.
Under that plan, the Brodie Street library would close and a new central library would be developed in leased space at Intercity Shopping Centre.
The administration report due to be presented to city council next Monday cites three broad reasons for not supporting the new master plan: "fiscal prudence, risk of investment in a leased space, and indirect impacts on the south core with the sale of the Brodie library."
It notes that proceeding with the plan would add to the city's debt load.
The report recommends city administration work with TBPL to plan future capital investments in the library's existing facilities.
Last month, council approved rezoning Intercity Shopping Centre to make a library a permitted use there, but that decision did not yet commit council to supporting the central library project.
In an interview Wednesday, TBPL CEO Richard Togman called administration's assessment disappointing, but said he understands it is based on "a purely financial consideration and under a worse-case scenario."
He said he still hopes to persuade council there are other important factors to consider.
"They're trying to be the most cautious, perhaps the most risk-averse, and saying if everything goes wrong, if the library isn't able to raise any money, if they get zero grants . . . look at the potential implications for the city from a purely financial perspective. I understand that's a role they need to play."
However, when he speaks at the council meeting next week, Togman will appeal to council to take a broader view.
"I'm going to be encouraging council to look at it from a community perspective. Like, what do we lose when we don't get a new facility like this? How many children don't get the support in their reading? How many community groups can't meet because there's no public space available?"
According to information provided by TBPL, the library's master plan would require the city to contribute between $8 and $10 million to create the central library and fund the other branches over the next few years.
Togman said the capital cost of the new plan is basically the same as the cost of maintaining and upgrading the existing facilities, and operating costs would be roughly equivalent, "so we're looking at a really cost-effective model."
He also reiterated that the central library will increase space by more than 40 per cent and operating hours by 26 per cent.
Addressing administration's concerns about using leased space, the CEO suggested there's potential for a lease at the mall stretching out to 25 years, and that "there's a lot of security of tenure" at Intercity.
"And again, the city is taking the perspective that the worse-case scenario may happen, maybe the mall will go bankrupt and the ownership group will fail. We don't see that as likely. The mall is owned by one of the major health-care pension funds, so the risks of a leased space are actually quite low."
The administration report states there is potential for increases in ongoing operating and lease costs that may result in additional budget requests to the city.
It places the total cost of a centralized library at almost $18 million, with the potential for an additional $3 million if tenders for renovations come in at the high end of the estimate range.
The report also says debt servicing costs are not fully accounted for in TBPL's projections, and are estimated at roughly $1 million to $2 million in the first year alone.
With regard to the closure of the Brodie library, it notes that removing it contradicts the Official Plan's aim to restore the city's downtown areas as vibrant, mixed-use community nodes. In addition, the library is a designated heritage property, and its disposal would lead to a lack of control over its maintenance and preservation.
Administration makes the observation, as well, that "the city has not carried out any public engagement or consultation on the cost impacts of these [library master plan] scenarios to taxpayers."
NOTE: This story has been updated with comments from TBPL CEO Richard Togman
