The City of Ottawa is in the process of finding a location for its new flagship Central Library to be built in 2020.
Twelve properties have been evaluated for the new building, which will replace the Main branch location on Metcalfe Street, slated to close in 2020. Five properties are located in the downtown core, two are east of the canal and the other five are west of Bronson Avenue.
Members of the library board have narrowed the list down to a select few, but they are keeping the shortlist a secret until a deal can be reached on the final location by the end of the year.
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney is pushing to have the board release the list at its November meeting. She plans to introduce a motion about this at the board’s Oct. 11 meeting.
The Centretown Citizens Community Association is adamant about the new location being placed in the core between Bronson Avenue and Elgin Street, stating “Centretown’s population is larger by a significant margin than the neighbourhoods west of Bronson,” and “the library must be located where most of the people live and work.”
Reports indicate that if Centretown is not chosen as the location for the Central Library, there are no plans to replace the branch library in the downtown core.
The library board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. in the Champlain Room at City Hall.