During a campaign rally Monday night, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told supporters it is time for the city to work with the private sector to build a new main library.
"It's time to say goodbye to the concrete bunker from another era," Watson told a roomful of supporters at the Ukrainian Banquet Hall on Byron Avenue.
"Our current 40-year-old facility at the corner of Metcalfe and Laurier is no longer a point of pride," he added.
At the rally, Watson threw his support behind a P3 or a private-public partnership model to create a new library. The city used the P3 model to build Landsdowne Park and to finance the new $100 million dollar Arts Court redevelopment and Ottawa Art Gallery expansion.
"When organizations like the city don't have all the capital to put up-front the full amount, we have to look for partners," he said.
Watson said the new library must provide "significant benefit to taxpayers," and should cost no more than renovating the current facility. He also said it must be near a transit line, and be centrally located.
Rather than simply allowing residents to check in and out books, Watson told the crowd he envisons the library as a "innovative, and gathering hub" that will support local entrepreneurs.
Many residents, and councillors, say the current facility is out-dated, and is unable to meet the city's demands. Talks about renovating or building a new library have been going on for years.
The campaign announcement comes just a few months after the Ottawa Public Library Board revelaed it would cost roughly $70 million to renovate the existing main library branch. At the time, the council was considering several options, including a P3 model.
Watson did not rule out Lebreton Flats as a possible home for the library, but said those decisions will come at a later date. If re-elected, Watson said he will spend the first year in office speaking with stakeholders in the private and public sectors before presenting an action plan in council.
The municipal election is on October 27th.
