After years of uncertainty and extensive public consultation, Pelham is moving ahead with the reconstruction of the Maple Acre Library Branch in Downtown Fenwick. On Wednesday, January 20, 2016, the Maple Acre Advisory Committee approved Option A as the design for the new library facility.
The Committee considered more than 130 comments –gathered during a public open house, through comment sheets at the Pelham Arena, and an online consultation– and agreed with the 72% of those who chose Option A over Option B.
“A historic decision was made to proceed with the reconstruction of the Maple Acre Library with the full intent of delivering the best library service in Fenwick that available money can provide,” said Pelham Library Board Acting Chair Joe Bouchard.
The approved design includes:
- a quiet/study room;
- a lounge area facing Canboro Road;
- a technology centre;
- a historic record workroom;
- and children’s activity/ multipurpose rooms that can be used/rented separately.
(See the full floor plan below.)
The exterior follows the Town of Pelham design guidelines for Civic Landmark Buildings and stays true to the vision of the initial Maple Acre Working Group, which recommended that a “state of the art, ideal, and resilient library” be built in Downtown Fenwick.
“We are thrilled to reconstruct Maple Acre into a state-of-the-art library while honouring nearly a hundred years of library service in Fenwick,” said Mayor Dave Augustyn, Committee Chair. “We deeply appreciate the community’s years of involvement and look forward to people enjoying the renewed facility for many years to come.”
The Committee also extensively discussed feedback provided by members of the community that the library redesign may not integrate with the rest of Downtown Fenwick. However, based on other community feedback, and the Committee’s consideration of budget constraints, negative impacts on the preferred floorplan, and possible delays to construction, the Committee determined that Option A was the best choice.
The approved design delivers on the initial requests from the public, which called for a learning commons-type library with rentable, flexible, multi-purpose, open spaces and an area for significant historic records.
More detailed design drawings will be presented to the Committee in mid-March, and a ground breaking ceremony could be planned as early as June.
Approved Floor Plan
The Maple Acre library is the Fenwick branch of the Pelham Public Library and is located at 781 Canboro Road.
Quick Facts
- Project Scope:
- Additional 3,400 square foot library space
- Restoration of historic 500 square foot 1919 building
- Design Build: m/2 Group Inc. and Architecture 49
- Budget: $1,000,000
- Timeline: Fall 2016 Completion
For more information, please contact:
Dave Augustyn, Mayor
(905) 892-2607 ext. 317
Darren Ottaway, Chief Administrative Officer
(905) 892-2607 ext. 318
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