A brand new library is expected to grace Cache Creek’s downtown by 2012, Mayor John Ranta announced at last week’s Town Hall meeting.
The TNRD has purchased the old Chevron property on Hwy 1 next to the Royal Bank and plans to put a 1,600-2,000 square foot library on the .83 acres.
“We’re very excited about that,” Ranta told members of the public in attendance.
Kevin Kieran, Library Services manager for the TNRD, says the new property is in a much better location, with good exposure and access.
“The present Cache Creek Library (on Quartz Rd.),” he says, “is not ideally located, and poorly designed for a public library.”
Although they prefer to own the property and building, the TNRD leases two of its libraries - the one in Cache Creek and the Logan Lake Library.
“The future of the existing library is up to the owner,” said Ranta. “We believe he’ll try to sell it.”
The current library is 1,400 sq. ft.
Collection size and open hours are expected to remain the same. The library is open 16 hours per week and holds 6,000 to 7,000 items (books, videos, magazines, paperbacks, etc.)
“Council endorses having the library in the downtown sector,” says Ranta.
The Village tried to purchase the property to offer it to the TNRD, but their offer was rejected.
“We passed our interest over to the TNRD, who were successful,” he says.
Ranta says he thinks the new facility will entice travellers to stop on their way through town, especially if it offers services like an Internet hot spot such as the current library has. If that happens, “we may have more chance of extending the hours.”
The former gas station site has been vacant for many years. Chevron Canada Limited has provided a Certificate of Compliance (pursuant to Section 53 of the Environmental Management Act) for the property, said Kieran.