HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-11-06, Page 10Wednesday, November 6, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 9
Gerard Creces ON Agency .l,inette Raillle
Old makes way for new, in this case a library that will boost the downtown. It is scheduled to open next spring.
Demolition marks the start of Zurich library construction
Gerard Creces
OMI Agency
It was a great day to tear down a
building.
The Municipality of Bluewater is on
their way to constructing their second
new library this year, as crews from I)&I
Wattam from Wingham began demol-
ishing a building at the corner of Main
and Goshen Street, Zurich.
While the demolition was completed
Oct. 30, cleanup of the site was expected
to take a few extra days, from debris
removal to backfilling.
As was the case in Bayfield, the idea
for the new Zurich library came from
the community level.
"'They were both part of a pent up
demand," said Bluewater CA() Steve
McAuley. 1 le said the support for the
project has been overwhelming, and
nearly all design input from public
meetings has been incorporated into
the new building.
"This will definitely put some energy
back into downtown," he added.
It will be quite a boost for the library
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This will definitely put
some energy back into
downtown."
— Blueivatc'r CA() Steve McAuley
itself, which currently occupies a space
of just 1300 square feet in the basement
of a municipal building at Main and
Frederich Street. 'The new building will
be 3,500 square feet when finished, and
will include dedicated space for chil-
dren's programming - there is an active
audience for but little space in the cur-
rent location.
The entrance will be open from both
streets, with a reading garden going in
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at the corner facing the intersection, while the
reading room at the new library will also incorpo-
rate a bit of the old building. Some brick from the
demolition will be salvaged and used in a fireplace
included in the adult section plans. The demol-
ished building was formerly a grocery store, in
addition to having apartments upstairs.
Acquiring the building was spearheaded by the
Zurich Chamber of Commerce, who had worked
with the seller of the old storefront prior to
approaching Mummer Council with the idea. The
building sold for $47,500, though with demolition
and rehabilitation costs, the full price tag will be
closer to $100,000. All told, the new library has a
budget of $1.04 million, with $800,000 of that com-
ing from a $7.5 million ()MANIA grant that also
helped pay for the Bayfield Public Library. 'There
will be no effect on the tax base, and no increase of
levies for the project, McAuley said. The new
library is expected to be complete next spring.
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