Tag Archives: FRPL

Reports on Central Library now available

Posted on September 18, 2022 | Leave a comment

The reports on the future of Central Library are available on the Regina Public Library website.

Central Library Renewal overview https://www.reginalibrary.ca/about/major-projects

Central Library Renewal recent developments and reports https://cld.reginalibrary.ca/

Central Library Reports dating back to 2009 https://cld.reginalibrary.ca/?q=node/18

Note that in August of 2022, 5 reports from 2010 to 2015 were listed, including the “RPL P3 Canada Fund: Round Three Application” of 2011. On September 16, 2022 sixteen reports were listed, minus the P3 Fund application. Twelve reports were made available for the first time. These reports dated back as far as 2009.

It is good to have these reports now.

But why were these reports not made available to the public earlier on?

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Mayor supports more time to review Central Library’s future

Posted on September 15, 2022 | Leave a comment

On CBC Morning Edition this morning Mayor Masters agreed that 4 days is not enough time for the public to consider the RPL decision pending on Sept. 27 to demolish the Central Library and rebuild, and at the upcoming Board meeting she would suggest more time for public review.

Please make a submission to the RPL Board by Sept. 20 for their Sept. 27th meeting to voice your views on the future of the building and the need for more time for the public to review RPL report recommendations, available on Sept. 16.

See details on how to respond in the post below.

Central teardown decision and ways to respond

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Central teardown decision and ways to respond

Posted on September 8, 2022 | 1 comment

The RPL presented an update about the future of Central Library to the City of Regina Executive Committee at 9 am on Wed Sept 7th. The RPL Board had looked at 7 options, but they were not shared with the public. Without obtaining public views on the options, the RPL Board decided to tear down the current Central Library and build a new one. But the RPL’s vote will not be made until their Sept. 27 Board meeting.

People can view the RPL reports about Central Library at the RPL website on Friday Sept. 16 sometime after 12 noon. https://www.reginalibrary.ca/about/leadership/board-meetings-2022

A request to make a presentation and written submissions must be in to the RPL by 12 Noon on Tuesday Sept. 20. (Please follow instructions exactly, phone the RPL if you have any doubts or questions. They are extremely strict about their rules.) https://www.reginalibrary.ca/about/leadership/presenting-to-the-board Specify that you want your submission to go to all of the Board members. And specifically state that you want to make a presentation on Sept. 27th.

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Presentations and letters about Central’s future

Posted on September 8, 2022 | Leave a comment

The following letters were submitted to the City of Regina Executive Committee’s meeting on September 7, 2022, where the RPL made their proposal to tear down the current Central Library building and build a new building.

FRPL news release FRPL News Release – Sept 6, 2022 final

FRPL (letter sent in, presentation made) FRPL to Regina Exec Ctte Sept 1, 2022 – final

Florence Stratton (letter sent in, presentation made) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CENTRAL LIBRARY

Jeannie Mah  (letter sent in, presentation made) RPL + Central Library_ Sept 7, 2022

Jim Elliott  (letter sent in, presentation made) EX22-82 Jim Elliott

Shawne Arzab (letter sent in)Shawne Arzab to Regina Exec Ctte Sept 1, 2022 final

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Central Library Proposal Sept 7 at City Executive Committee

Posted on September 6, 2022 | Leave a comment

The Regina Public Library Board will present its proposal about the future of Central Library at 9 am on Wed Sept 7th. 

Direct link to Agenda http://reginask.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=4610&Inline=True

Direct link to the PDF that contains the RPL proposal and citizen presentations    http://reginask.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=4610&Inline=True

First the RPL will make its presentation, then the citizens will make their presentations. RPL presentation (pages 189 to 208).

Delegations – EX22-82 (presentations) 

• Joanne Havelock, Friends of the Regina Public Library

• Jim Elliott

• Barbara McNeil

• Florence Stratton

• Jeannie Mah

Communications – Letters were sent in by:

  • Joanne Havelock, Friends of the Regina Public Library (pages 17 to 19),
  • Jim Elliott (page 20) plus RPL Building Assessment Report (pages 21 to 185 including RPL Modernization, Order of Magnitude Cost Estimate pages 155 to 185).
  • Shawne Arzab (pages 186-187)
  • Florence Stratton (but not included in this agenda)

You can attend the meeting in person. Or, the meeting will be broadcast through the City of Regina’s meeting portal and through Access Communications  See details on this page  http://reginask.iqm2.com/Citizens/default.aspx  (City Council meetings are usually broadcast on Access channel 7 TV, but Committee meetings are not usually broadcast on TV, so watch online or attend in person.)

In future, if you go to the City website, the link  http://reginask.iqm2.com/Citizens/default.aspx is to the meeting portal of the City of Regina. Scroll down, identify the meeting, and select Agenda, Agenda Packet, live video of the meeting, minutes, recorded video of meeting.

Also, at any time you can send in letters to the City Clerks clerks@regina.ca to pass on to the Councillors, and email or phone City Councillors directly.

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Provincial library funding

Posted on March 23, 2021 | Leave a comment

FRPL has sent a letter to the Saskatchewan Minister of Education encouraging an increase in funding to the provincial library system. We are also asking for a report and list of actions resulting from the recent provincial library review. https://friendsofrpl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/frpl-to-hon.-dustin-duncan-mar-22-2021-final.pdf

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RPL budget at City – March 24, 1:00 pm

Posted on March 23, 2021 | Leave a comment

FRPL has sent in a letter about the RPL budget. https://friendsofrpl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/frpl-to-city-re-rpl-budget-2021-mar-22-2021-final.pdf

We will be making a presentation sometime after 1 pm Wed. Mar 24. To see the budget meeting agenda go to the City website https://www.regina.ca/city-government/city-council/council-meetings/ http://reginask.iqm2.com/Citizens/default.aspx

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Building ideas about Central Library

Posted on February 16, 2020 | Leave a comment

On Feb. 5, members of the public talked about what they would like to see in library services at Central Library.  The participants also gave many suggestions regarding the library building, such as:

  • keep the current building,
  • add another storey or two onto the current building,
  • build an addition on the land west of the current building,
  • build up and over the current building,
  • use the City Hall parkade in some way,
  • become part of the development along the railroad west of the Main Post Office,
  • use some of the other vacant lots in the downtown,
  • have more than one library building location downtown,
  • have a library building and a community centre downtown.

These suggestions have been made in the past, and the Library Board claims to have looked at them. But the public has not seen any reports that review these ideas.

The library must first look at what services it wants to provide. This was part of previous consultations with the public and library staff.  https://www.reginalibrary.ca/cld/ The public views will be updated by the current survey. The summation of these ideas should be presented to the public for thorough discussion and prioritization.

The public should also see engineering and architectural reports on the possibilities of the many options concerning the Central Library building, including costs.

After public consensus is achieved, then decisions should be made and efforts to get community support behind funding options could go ahead.

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Deadline – CORRECTION – Feb 20 at MIDNIGHT is the deadline for filling out the RPL survey

Posted on February 16, 2020 | Leave a comment

CORRECTION The RPL survey deadline is actually MIDNIGHT Feb 20.

Thurs. Feb. 20 at 9 AM is the deadline for filling in the survey about Central Library.

The consultants will be compiling their report for decisions by the Library Board. The next public RPL Board meeting is March 24. It is not clear if they will be deciding at that point in time on the major directions of: renovating Central Library, adding on to the current building or demolishing the building and adding on. It is unclear whether the RPL Board will share a tentative decision for public feedback before making the decision final. However, the discussions at the public meeting on Feb. 5 seemed to indicate that the Board would just go ahead with its decision based on the consultants report, “sometime in the spring”..

Of course, later on the consultants will certainly present pictures of design details, but that will not give public scrutiny to the Board’s major decision.

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Survey on Central Library

Posted on February 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

The RPL has a survey about Central Library.
– fill it out online https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DCBBK5Y
– print and fill in the attached PDF and bring to a library
– ask for a print copy at any library branch to fill in there

The deadline for filling out the survey is not know, but the consultants want to get their report done in the next couple of months, so try to fill out the survey in the next few days. Public opinion does work and we are the public.

Some things to note:
– The questions are reasonably open-ended.
– Question 8 allows you to add your own comments.
– Question 5 neglects to mention:
………..the Prairie History Room
………..being a source for reference material and research
………..literacy programs
………..Outreach Services https://www.reginalibrary.ca/services/outreach
– The survey doesn’t ask whether you would like to see the current building preserved or ask ideas about how the space could be expanded (extra floors, build on to the west, build up-and-over, use the City Hall parkade for parking, locate some services in another building). How to improve it cost-effectively. Please indicate your suggestions.
– Think about what the Central Library’s role should be in Regina’s downtown. And the options for other organizations or buildings to fill these roles.

We encourage you to look at the previous reports.
Project Main page  https://www.reginalibrary.ca/about/major-projects
Previous reports https://www.reginalibrary.ca/cld/
– Dialogue community survey
– Central Library building assessment
– Development plan, lots of information and ideas here, see page 85-86 for overview of site, ideas about each area of the library, services that could be provided and space needed.

FRPL members will be meeting to discuss plans concerning Central Library. If you would like to participate in these discussions, please email us, or phone (306) 535-9570

Over 100 people turned out for the meeting on Feb. 5 ! Most were in favour of retaining the current library building, some agreeing with renovations or additions if needed. Many good questions were asked and suggestions made. Here is CTV news coverage https://regina.ctvnews.ca/regina-public-library-looking-to-improve-downtown-location-1.4801093?fbclid=IwAR1vhRuZjsJ9W-y9B8lMfR-1qbB05nSD3FGOJO–9XjsTtbs811j1qR91Ao

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