The Board of the Prince George Public Library was both shocked and disappointed to hear in the media about the recommendation of City staff to remove the already-approved funding for the library entrance from the 2015 funded capital list. We thank Managing Editor, Neil Godbout, for the editorial of September 9 that highlighted the high use of the library in comparison to other civic facilities, the unsightliness of the entrance and the long wait for this improvement.
The board questions how the library's entrance can be left insecure and unsafe when nearly 300,000 people use it annually, far more than any other city-owned facility. And it questions how this prominent building can be left so unsightly when the City says it wants to revitalize the downtown. Used extensively year round by community members of all ages, cultures, interests and backgrounds, the library building deserves city support and investment.
In 2013, council added the library's front entrance to its "funded list" and directed city administration to make an effort to complete the project prior to the 2015 Canada Winter Games. This would work alongside the general enhancement of the Civic Plaza. It is important that a new entrance remain funded, as this entrance is needed for more than a facelift for the 2015 celebrations - it is needed for our community and the 900+ users who enter this building every day.
Major previous enhancements to the building, such as the internal Skylab and the outdoor adjacent Knowledge Garden did not use city funds; rather, these came from the board and from generous individual and corporate donors. The city has said that it wants to improve safety and security throughout Prince George and that it wants to revitalize the downtown core, yet it is willing to leave this entrance both treacherous and unwelcoming.
The library entrance has long been identified as needing improvement. Local architect Trelle Morrow states that "it is a huge mistake, quite frankly. It has to be the worst entrance of any public building in Canada" (from Reflections on Architects and Architecture in Prince George 1950-2000). A new entrance design will address long-standing safety, accessibility and security concerns.
Anne George
Chair, Prince George Public Library
