Tag Archives: Saskatchewan

Presentation to RPL Board – June 25, 2013

Friends of the Regina Public Library

Presentation to the Regina Public Library Board, June 25, 2013

Friends of the Regina Public Library would like to bring forward some questions about the planning to upgrade Central Library.

1. When will the patron survey be occurring, what type of questions will it ask, how will it be conducted?

2. When will consultations be held on the Central Library? What kind of consultation process will the RPL be using? In addition to the on-line survey, will there be a single public meeting or a series of meetings? How will participants be able to share their views?

3. Will the RPL Board publicly confirm whether it is currently pursuing any options for renovating /adding on to the current library building?

4. Based on public interest that has been expressed, FRPL would like to repeat its request we would request that the architects prepare a design for renovation and expansion of the current Central Library building. From the Building Assessment report this is not only possible, but more cost-effective and would preserve the heritage of the current modernist building.

5. Is the Library Board thinking of submitting a new proposal to the P3 Canada Fund at any time? Would this be done for the June 30, 2013 deadline?

The survey done by FRPL found that there was some awareness about the plans at the time to demolish the Central Library building at Lorne and 12th Ave. and replace it with a multi-use facility containing private businesses in addition to a library. Almost 90 percent of respondents stated that they cared if the Central Library building was demolished. Ninety-nine percent said it was important to them that the Central Library building remains publicly owned. Ninety nine percent were concerned that they had not received details of plans to enter into a public private partnership. The majority of people (79%) were concerned with how the project would affect their taxes.

The Design Regina process has developed the following goals that would also support retaining the heritage of the modernist Central Library building.

Goal #1 – Conserving Heritage and Supporting Cultural Development

Conserve cultural heritage and support cultural development to enhance quality of life and strengthen community identity and cohesion.

8.1 Build partnerships and work collaboratively with community groups, other levels of government, and the private and voluntary sectors to encourage cultural development opportunities.

8.2 Collaborate with partners to encourage awareness and understanding of cultural resources and cultural heritage.

8.3 Identify, evaluate, conserve and enhance cultural heritage to improve quality of life and reinforce a sense of place.

8.4 Develop a framework of representative heritage themes that reflects our cultural identity and the diverse values of residents.

8.5 Ensure that the list of historic places recognized within the Heritage Property Register and Heritage Holding Bylaw adequately represents of the themes in the framework;

8.6 Require a cultural resource and heritage assessment to recognize historic places in new greenfield development and intensification at the City’s discretion;

8.7 Identify, and prioritize and develop locations that provide a sense of arrival and departure into significant cultural landscapes.

8.8 Refine the municipal financial incentive policies and programs to encourage the conservation of historic places.

Goal #4 – Culture and Heritage Planning

Ensure a practice of culture and heritage planning in the city.

8.15 Consider cultural resources and heritage implications in all areas of municipal planning and decision-making.

8.16 Protect, conserve and enhance historic places in accordance with the “Standards and Guidelines for Historic Places in Canada”.

This is an opportunity for the Regina Public library to make a name for itself in respecting heritage and culture to produce a design that would be well-supported in the community and we would hope that you are able to take advantage of this opportunity.

Thank you for the opportunity to make this presentation.

We would be pleased to engage in further discussion on these topics.

Masonic Temple Wins Heritage Award

Saving Regina Masonic Temple brings an award

 By Will Chabun, Leader-Post June 1, 2013

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Saving+Regina+Masonic+Temple+brings+award+with+gallery/8512624/story.html

Don Ford, president of the board of directors of the Regina Masonic Temple at 1930 Lorne Street in Regina SK on June 11, 2013.  The organization is receiving an award for architectural heritage today in regards to the building´s gorgeous architecture.

RPL first online survey re Central Library complete

The RPL Board has just completed its survey about Central Library services and upgrade of the building.

 We have been told by the library that a total of 815 interviews were conducted. 601 were completed by telephone, 210 online. The telephone respondents were generated by calling active numbers drawn from a list purchased commercially from a company that aggregates numbers from published sources. The online responses were generated by e-mailing addresses Praxis maintains. The e-mail addresses come from individuals interviewed in earlier telephone surveys, or who have been recruited periodically and who indicate they are willing to receive surveys.

A survey for patrons to fill out should be available soon – so keep your eyes open at the Library Branches and at the Library website.

RPL Survey re Central on Now

The Regina Public Library is currently conducting a survey about library services and trying to gauge support for the amenities that they would like to see connected to an upgraded Central Library.

Apparently it is quite a long survey, one person interviewed said there were questions like :

Do you think there should be a movie theatre or restaurant nearby?
Do you think it should be located within a mall? Near a shopping centre?
It would be interesting to know what the questions are.
The library is also conducting some targeted on-line surveys and will do a patrons survey in the future.
One  hopes that the questions keep all of the options open, including the renovation, rather than the deomolition, of the modernist Central Library, which the majority of people contacted in our FRPL survey said they would prefer.

Residents Want Central Library to Stay

NEWS RELEASE:  Monday March 18, 2013  “Residents Want Library Building to Stay”

REGINA, SK — The Friends of the Regina Public Library (FRPL) are releasing the results of a survey taken to gain opinions about potential upgrading of Central Library.  The survey found that:

  • Over half (62%) of the participants were aware of the plans to demolish the Central Library building at Lorne and 12th Ave. and replace it with a multi-use facility containing private businesses in addition to a library.
  • Almost 90 percent of respondents stated that they cared if the Central Library building was demolished. Over 60 percent cared a lot.
  • Ninety-nine percent said it was important to them that the Central Library building remains publicly owned.
  • Ninety nine percent were concerned that they had not received details of plans to enter into a public private partnership.
  • The majority of people (79%) were concerned with how the project would affect their taxes.

 

Central Library Development Plan – now available

The last of the planning documents related to the upgrade of Central Library has been released.

 Central Library Development Plan (2010).   Available at   http://www.reginalibrary.ca/cld/?q=node/24

The intent of this work is “to identify RPL’s requirements for the proposed Central Library, beginning from the foundation of the Library’s strategic directions documents, and ending with physical planning concepts.”

Please take a look at this document. Very interesting material!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

Background…………………………………………………………………….1-1

Descriptions of the Work Performed…………………………………..1-2

Participants …………………………………………………………………….1-3

SECTION 2 DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS

Introduction …………………………………………………………………….2-1

Strategic Parameters

Introduction……………………………………………………………….2-3

Mission …………………………………………………………………….2-3

Vision……………………………………………………………………….2-3

Values………………………………………………………………………2-3

Service Plan ……………………………………………………………..2-5

Principles ………………………………………………………………….2-8

Role of the Central Library ………………………………………….2-9

Service Delivery Context

Introduction……………………………………………………………..2-13

Background …………………………………………………………….2-13

Social Trends…………………………………………………………..2-14

Trends In Information Management ……………………………2-15

Trends in Technology……………………………………………….2-17

Civic Context …………………………………………………………..2-19

Geography………………………………………………………………2-22

Climate …………………………………………………………………..2-22

History of the Regina Public Library ……………………………2-22

Comparator and Benchmark Libraries ………………………..2-23

Functional Parameters

Introduction……………………………………………………………..2-25

Overall Functional Guidelines ……………………………………2-25

Public Services ………………………………………………………..2-30

Library Infrastructure Services …………………………………..2-44

Other Services and Functions ……………………………………2-47

Physical Parameters

Introduction……………………………………………………………..2-49

Design Objectives ……………………………………………………2-49

Functional Space Types……………………………………………2-58

Gross Space Requirements ………………………………………2-59

Functional Components ……………………………………………2-60

 SECTION 3 SITE AND EXISTING FACILITIES ANALYSIS

Introduction …………………………………………………………………….3-1

Site Analysis …………………………………………………………………..3-2

Existing Facilities Analysis………………………………………………..3-8

Building System Analysis ……………………………………………3-8

Facility Functional Analysis …………………………………………3-8

Resource Planning Group Inc. 2010 January 15

 SECTION 4 MASTER PROGRAM

Introduction …………………………………………………………………….4-1

General Planning Criteria………………………………………………….4-3

Site Design Criteria ……………………………………………………4-3

Building Planning Criteria ………………………………………….4-11

Component Planning Criteria…………………………………………..4-15

Introduction……………………………………………………………..4-15

A. Community Forum and Conference Facility

A1 Concourse/Wintergarden ………………………………4-17

A2 Film Theatre (Auditorium) and Seminar Facility..4-18

B. Library Services

B1 Orientation and Information Services………………4-19

B2 Browsing Library…………………………………………..4-20

B3 Children’s…………………………………………………….4-21

B4 Young Adult’s ………………………………………………4-22

B5 Literacy and Outreach Services ……………………..4-23

B6 Fiction Collection and Services ………………………4-24

B7 Technology Centre, IT and Virtual Services……..4-25

B8 Non-Fiction Collection and Services ……………….4-26

B9 Prairie History Room …………………………………….4-27

B10 Dunlop Art Gallery ………………………………………..4-28

C. Support Services

C1 Library Director’s Office…………………………………4-29

C2 Administration and Staff Amenities …………………4-30

C3 Collections Development, Acquisitions/

Cataloguing & Processing……………………………4-31

C4 Operations and Maintenance …………………………4-32

D. Ancillary Space

D1 Retail and Community Services ……………………..4-33

D2 Long Term Expansion Space…………………………4-34

E. General Support Space

E1 Parking ……………………………………………………….4-35

 SECTION 5 PHYSICAL PLAN

Introduction …………………………………………………………………….5-1

Process to Develop Planning Options ………………………………..5-2

Objectives/Terms of Reference for Planning……………………….5-3

Unconstrained Library Building Layout on

Unconstrained Site …………………………………………………….5-4

Contextual Layouts ………………………………………………………….5-7

Option 1 – Stand-Alone Library……………………………………5-7

Option 2 – Library Integrated with

Comprehensive Development………………………………….5-9

Resource Planning Group Inc. 2010 January 15

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Regina Public Library – Central Branch Interim

Existing Facility Analysis (P3A Architecture) ………………..A1

Appendix B: Layout Options ……………………………………………..B1

Feb. 19 – Show Your Support for Library Services

The RPL Budget will be discussed at City Council on Tuesday February 19 at 5:30 PM. At that time Council will decide to approve or not approve the Library’s request for a 2.9% mill rate increase. FRPL will be making a presentation about various aspects of the RPL budget. Your attendance will show your support for funding for library services.

RPL P3 Canada application available

In June 2011 the RPL applied to the P3 Canada (Public Private Partnership) fund for the large redevelopment of Central Library Building.  The application form has finally been made publicly available on the RPL website.  http://www.reginalibrary.ca/cld/?q=node/23 and is available on the FRPL website. Regina Public Library – Application Form with Supplementary Notes – Round 3

The RPL has since withdrawn this application from the  P3 Canada fund process, because the Masonic Temple property was not available. But it is still very useful to read it for the plans that were there, since aspects may be used in the next design for Central Library.

Is it possible that they might reapply in the future?

Central Library Building Assessment – please review

It’s very important to take a close look at what is being said about the Central Library building! The RPL is planning consultations about new designs in March and people should be well-informed and prepared for these consultations.  The RPL Board continues to say that the building is old and needs to be replaced. Please forward thoughts or comments you have to FRPL.

The Building Assessment about the condition of Central Library building
that FRPL has been requesting for a while has finally been made available on the RPL website http://www.reginalibrary.ca/cld/?q=node/22 and is also available here. Building%20Assessment%20Summary%20-%20201206

This document has some critical statements about the condition of the building and the potential for adaptive re-use.

“This report was originally prepared in 2009 and has been updated to
reflect the master Program prepared by Resource Planning Group. The
report consists of a facility analysis by P3A as Architects, JC Kenyon
Engineering- Structural, MacPherson Engineering- Mechanical, Ritenburg
and Associates- Electrical, Resource Planning Group- Library Programming
and Functionality. The report reflects the requirements of the Regina
Public Library from a technical and functional perspective and reviews
issues related to building re-use.”

RPL 2013 Budget – what do you think?

RPL is asking for a 2.9% increase in its budget.

The budget is not on the City website yet, but RPL has posted it on its own website under About Us, Budget and Financial Information.

http://www.reginalibrary.ca/about/Budget%20-%202013%20-%20City%20Submission.pdf

It will be discussed at the

  • Executive Committee meeting on February 13, 11:45 a.m.
  • Special Council Meeting on February 19th, 5:30 p.m.

City Council will vote to approve or not approve the mill rate increase.

To make a presentation to City Council a written submission must be made to the City Clerk’s office by by 1 pm, February 14th.

Anyone can show up at Executive Committee meetings and make presentations by signing up at the time.

FRPL would appreciate hearing any comments you have about the budget and priorities.