YORKTON - There is a possibility the City of Yorkton will be selling the building which has been the long-time home of the Yorkton Public Library.
“We’ve had an offer,” confirmed Mayor Mitch Hippsley in an interview with Yorkton This Week last week.
It is a private company interested in purchasing the existing building, which eliminates future maintenance and capital improvement costs to the City, noted Hippsley.
The private company would pay taxes in the neighbourhood of $60,000 per year.
A Public Notice in YTW detailed Yorkton Council is considering an Option to Purchase the property for $1,500,000. The advertisement called for submissions from the public regarding the potential sale.
Those submissions were presented Monday at the regular meeting of Yorkton Council, and a standing room-only gallery – most there in response to the library had a united voice in telling Council not to sell the building, which would necessitate a library move.
“It is incredible to see Council Chambers full,” said Hippsley, adding he had not seen it before in his time on Council.
Administration reported they had received seven written submissions, all in opposition to the sale and move, and that the mayor had received others. The city manager had also taken a number of calls in opposition.
Hippsley then asked if anyone in chambers wished to speak in favour of the sale. No one came forward.
But when it came time for verbal submissions against the sale there was a rather long list of those going to the microphone.
Doris Mabin with the Yorkton Genealogical Society which meets at the library was the first to speak.
Mabin said the immediate concern for the group would be access to meeting space in the new library which had been suggested would be in the Gallagher Centre in a space about one-third that of the current library,
The issue of a smaller footprint in the Gallagher Centre location also brought into question what the future of the current history room – home to much of the information relevant to genealogical work – might be, noted Mabin.
Last week Hippsley had noted if the sale moved forward it would necessitate finding a new home for the library. Hippsley said space upstairs at the Gallagher Centre currently vacant after housing physiotherapy offices, has been discussed by Council in-camera – taken in-camera as a property matter.
The provincial recommendation – not regulation – for a library serving a community the size of Yorkton is 10,000 square feet, said Hippsley.
The existing library is 16,000 square feet.
Tammy Hall said she was in chambers “as a library lover.”
Hall too questioned the greatly reduced space being suggested at the Gallagher Centre, noting in the current location she “sees every inch is well-used.”
As it stands there is varied programming at the library, with varied groups using the space, said Hall.
“Those may disappear because they don’t have room,” she continued.
Hall said since Jan. 1 there have been near 16,000 visitations to the library, with near 2000 attending programming.
Hall said the proposed location just doesn’t work in her mind.
“In reality 6000-(square) feet is not enough,” she said.
Keith and Debbie Hayward said losing the current centralized location for the library isn’t a positive either, because it would limit walk-in access for many.
As the library is today it is something of a hub of activity, said Keith Hayward.
Space was also a concern for the Hayward's as members of the Yorkton Horticultural Centre which also uses the current meeting rooms.
The couple also noted their past involvement with the Yorkton Film Festival which has had “lots of screenings” at the current location which they added have been “very successful too.”
The suggested move came as a surprise too, said Debbie Hayward.
“For library users the proposed move is a blow,” she said.
Debbie Hayward said a library is a key community asset.
“A good city needs a good library, and we have that,” she said, adding a library is “access to knowledge” for residents.
Carol Bolt also noted the proposed move came as a complete surprise.
“I thought this can’t possibly be happening,” she said, adding she thought “this is ridiculous. They can’t do this.”
Bolt wondered what happens to space such as the pARTners Gallery which was created in part with a bequest from Sandra MacColl, and the area funded by the Yorkton Tribal Council if the library moved to a much smaller space?
“There’s no way in God’s earth you’re going to get all the programming in there,” she said.
Bolt also picked up on the thread of how a library reflects a community.
“A good library reflects a good library,” she said, adding Yorkton has a good library now.
As for the proposed sale and move, Bolt summed it up simply suggesting, “this is an insane idea.”
Melissa Higgins said she has “always loved the library” for the opportunities it provides for “community enrichment.”
Higgins said some things need to be done for the good of a society, and not necessarily because of monetary value.
“This is not really in the interest of society,” she said.
Parking at the Gallagher Centre, especially at times when other events are going on, and access to library for those with disabilities manoeuvring through a busy Gallagher Centre lobby were also themes mentioned by various speakers.
By the end of the process more than 20 people took to the podium, all opposed to any sale or move.
Councillor Darcy Zaharia said he has been opposed to the sale, a position he said fits with the calls he has fielded since the possibility of a sale was made public.
“I don’t see any benefit going to the Gallagher Centre,” he said.
Zaharia also suggested the matter “wasn’t handled in the right way” in terms of the community being made aware of the sale.
Ashley Stradeski, director of finance with the city did note the deal is not complete and the building has not been sold. The final decision is likely to be made at the next regular meeting of Council in three weeks.
Mayor Hippsley said the process Monday “was a real eye-opener.”
While suggesting the city needed to look at the offer to buy the building, something that fit his election campaign platform of watching city finances, “what’s best for the city community wise,” must also be considered.
In the case of the library situation, “there is no benefit to moving to the Gallagher Centre,” said Hippsley.
