Junction Triangle

According to the Toronto Star, at today's Executive Committtee meeting Mayor Ford stated that he does not support closing libraries as a way to meet the City's projected budget shortfall http://www.thestar.com/news/torontocouncil/article/1056360--ford-looks-f... Sounds a lot like good news!

Thanks to everybody who came out today to get involved with the Perth Dupont Library expansion steering group. We have some really smart and enthusiastic volunteers plus Councillor Bailao. Look on this website over the next few weeks for a new section devoted to improving and expanding our branch and asking for your ideas on what you would like to see in a new facility.

Karen Von Hahn has a great piece in the Toronto Star today about the impact that renovated libraires have made in communities around Toronto:

Over the past couple of years, despite being continually pressed by budget cuts, the Toronto Public Library has quietly been improving the cityscape with stylish renovations to its branches, making beautiful buildings everyone can enjoy, and raising the bar for world-class contemporary architecture and design along the way...

The story makes it easy to see what could happen in the Junction Triangle if we are successful in expanding the Perth/Dupont branch. You can see the complete article at http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/1042498

Um, so, anyone up for restarting their Councillor Bailao's connections to the development industry rant and how those connections "still leave me wondering if she will put the needs of developers ahead of the desires of the community."

https://www.junctiontriangle.ca/node/441

The Globe and Mail has an excellent article today about the new library in Surrey, British Columbia. For anyone interested in participating in the upcoming community consultation about what an expanded Perth/Dupont library should feature, this article provides a good overview of what libraries in the future might be like. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/the-librar...

we're sorry to have missed the meeting - we were busy having a baby! thanks to everyone for posting the info and updates here. looking forward to hearing more and hopefully participating in any future meetings.

Torontoist has an article too:
http://torontoist.com/2011/08/talk_of_austerity_and_cutbacks.php

Many thanks to everyone who attended the Junction Triangle Library Expansion Committee meeting last night. It is very encouraging to see so many people out supporting our local library. We had so many people at the meeting, that we owe a special thanks to the Sporting Club Portugal at Dupont and Osler for hosting us at the last minute when we exceeded the meeting room capacity at the library.

Just to re-cap briefly, there was broad agreement on moving ahead with an expansion campaign for our library with a positive tone. Our library is not slated for closure, but should it become a target, then the Committee would change its focus. Councillor Bailao and Councillor Doucette, a Library Board member, both endorsed the approach and the initiative.

There are three possible options for expansion of our library:
1. Expand the current location by building an elevator and washrooms on the main floor, in the garden area at the back, and re-doing the front façade for approximately $1-million
2. Build a new 6500 sq. ft. library in the current location for $3-million
3. Build a new 10,000 sq. ft. library in a different location for $4.2-million

These options all have different advantages and conditions that will be explored over the coming months. The money to pay any of these options would be a mix of Section 37 money (fees that property developers pay for zoning allowances on their projects in our neighbourhood) and money raised by the community.

The Expansion Committee will be forming into a working group and meeting again in early September to plan a community consultation process. We will post details about time and location and everyone is welcome to join.

Kevin

Just wanting to know if anyone could name all the 9 library branches that were mentioned in the Villager by the city rep who was quoted? Does she really mean in walking distance? For crying out loud, Parkdale branch is a 2.3 km walk from the neighbourhood. What toddler or preschooler is making it there?