New Central Library
New Central Library Update
City Council Meeting Wrap-Up – November 28, 2023 |
At a special City Council meeting on November 28, Council approved plans for the development of a Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square. This will involve retrofitting both 200 Brady St. and 199 Larch St. to include a new Central Library, the Art Gallery of Sudbury and the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association. The project will provide residents with a variety of services in one convenient centralized location, and supports the City’s commitment to accessibility, environmental sustainability, multiculturalism, social inclusion and culture. To make room for these new services at Tom Davies Square, a Municipal Services Relocation project will move some municipal services from 200 Brady St. to the provincial tower at 199 Larch St. This is made possible by post-pandemic changes to the Province’s business operations, which has made a significant amount of space available within 199 Larch St. The new direction for the project stems from a Council resolution in February 2023, where Council directed staff to explore alternatives for the Junction East project, in order to balance the achievement of project goals with the economic realities faced by the municipality. Through this analysis, a retrofit of Tom Davies Square emerged as the best cost-effective alternative for the project. This allows the City to consider the cost savings for additional capital projects to further enhance quality of life for residents. Creating a Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square provides several benefits including enhancing the number of services for residents in one location, making use of existing municipal assets and realizing operating cost savings compared to building a new facility. Transforming the existing City Hall facility serves as a catalyst for further downtown revitalization by establishing an accessible, inviting, contemporary, people-oriented space for connecting residents to each other as well as to art, information and technology. It also contributes to municipal economic development and tourism goals. Council approved amended resolutions, changing the total project budget from $68.8 million to $65 million. This includes up to $37 million in municipal funding, with funds provided by debt already secured for this project. If funding from Cultural Hub partners and/or external funding sources is less than anticipated, Council approved the provision of additional municipal funds up to the approved budget amount, using funds from the previously secured debt for this project, to an upset limit of $64.5 million. Staff will now work on issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the design of the new Cultural Hub and Municipal Services Relocation projects. It is expected that the RFP will be awarded in early 2024 and schematic design work will begin in Q2 2024. The design for the renovated facility will continue to follow and build upon the vision and themes identified during the Junction East community engagement process in 2021. For full details, read the November 28 Report to Council. For more information on the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square and the City’s other Large Projects, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/largeprojects. |
Why do we need a New Central Library?
Did you know the Main Library has a makerspace, a local history area, and a homebound service?
Watch the videos below to see all the great things we do and find out how a New Central Library will allow us to serve you even better.
A great investment for Greater Sudbury
Greater Sudbury Public Library provides economic, social and health benefits to the community. This series shows how the New Central Library will magnify that impact and bring even more economic benefits to Greater Sudbury.
Your stories
We want to hear your story!
What makes the Greater Sudbury Public Library so important to our community?
How will the New Central Library make our community even better?
Hear the stories of two library members: what they love about what we do, and how they see the New Central Library making Greater Sudbury even better.
Do you have a story to tell? Record a short video telling us what you love about the library. Share your vision for the New Central Library. We will post the videos on our website and share on our social media channels.
- What makes the library important to you?
- What gets you excited about the New Central Library?
New Central Library facts
1. Do people even use libraries anymore? |
The answer is an emphatic yes! GSPL had over a million transactions in 2019, and an average of about ¾ of a million in-person visits per year. People use libraries to:
. . . and a lot of people borrow books too! |
2. What does the library do for our community? |
Libraries benefit everyone in the community, whether they are a patron or not.
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3. Why can't you just renovate your existing building? |
Our current building was built for a different time and a different kind of library service; there are a lot of problems that can't be fixed with a simple renovation.
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4. What is the benefit of collaborating with AGS, SMFAA and STC on the same site? |
Collaborating with these organizations is going to benefit our patrons, their members, and the entire community! By working together, we will:
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5. How will the New Central Library benefit the community on opening day in 2025? |
GSPL does amazing things at our current Main library, but the New Central Library will allow us to do so much more for the community. On opening day at the New Central Library, we will:
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6. How will the New Central Library benefit the city for next 50 years? |
The New Central Library is an investment in Greater Sudbury's future, bringing community benefits for decades to come. At Junction East, we will be able to:
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7. How will the New Central Library benefit the community economically? |
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8. Why don't you just build more branch libraries? |
The central library performs a special function as the heart of the entire library system. Many services that benefit the whole city are supported at the central library, such as:
A new central library will enhance these functions, providing benefits to the whole city.
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9. Will opening a new central library downtown lead to closing smaller branches in other areas? |
There are no plans to close any branches as a result of opening the New Central Library. With the completion of the Junction East project, the existing Main Library branch on Mackenzie Street will be permanently closed. |
10. Why do we need to build a new central library now? |
There have been studies calling for a New Central Library since 1990 - that's over three decades. Investing in Junction East now is the right decision because:
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Community groups across Greater Sudbury support the New Central Library
We've received letters of support for the New Central Library project from community groups across Greater Sudbury.
Do you have some kind words to share? Tell us how the New Central Library will benefit you or your organization and we will add your post to our social media campaign. Email Colleen Burns to tell us what you think the New Central Library will bring to Greater Sudbury.Sign up for updates by joining our mailing list.