'Progress is happening,' officials say of new Charlottetown library now months from opening

Charlottetown's long-awaited new library is just months from completion. 

That's according to officials behind the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre project, who expect work to be complete by March or April, at which point it'll be handed over to library staff to set up.

"We've got most of the ceilings in and we're now working on flooring and working on finishing the exterior terraces," said Wade Arsenault, senior project manager, and CEO for the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation.  

"I think the intent is to make sure that everything gets in, the shelving gets set up, all the new public access computers, all of that stuff gets set up and properly labelled prior to physically moving over all the existing books and equipment."

The project was initially announced in the summer of 2019, and slated to open about a year later. That target was eventually moved to December of 2021. But Arsenault said it'll still be several months before the work is complete. 

• New Charlottetown library to wrap construction in November

"We obviously were a little bit behind that," said Arsenault, who cites labour shortages and supply chain issues as common construction delays during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Certainly there's been a disruption to the existing tenants of the building and they've put up with a lot, but hopefully we all see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it'll be done very soon. And everybody, I think, will be tremendously happy with the result," he said.  

He expects that once the new library is open, people will understand why the project took the time it did — because it was important to take this opportunity for a brand new library in the province's capital, and make the most of it.  

"Before I got involved in this project, I really had no idea what a modern library offers," said Arsenault, who has spent more than a year now on research and consultation to make sure the new library is modern, accessible, functional, and has something for everyone. 

"The amount of programming that's offered across all age ranges is really tremendous and more to come because now they'll physically have the space to be able to do simultaneous programming across all ages."

• New Charlottetown library will have 'something for everyone'

The new 40,000 square foot library takes up the entire first floor of Charlottetown's Dominion Building. The plans include a café, accessible washrooms, and a maker space where patrons will be able to access a 3D-printer. There is also a recording studio, a test kitchen, designated areas for staff, and numerous spaces for meetings and programming.

"You can actually see the bones of the library now," said Beth Clinton, regional librarian with the P.E.I. Public Library Service.

"You can see the program rooms, you can see where the staff areas are. It's becoming much more concrete." 

She said that while final touches continue on the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre, her staff is hard at work getting ready for the big move across the street.

Part of that has involved clearing out 50 years' worth of storage in the basement of the Confederation Centre. They're also doing some training to get ready, and finding new homes for furniture and items they won't have room for in the new space. And then a final challenge will come when it's time to move. 

"We will have to close for a bit," said Clinton. "The books will be moved over and any files or that sort of equipment we do need, and then we will have to get in here and actually set everything up and get all those books on the shelves." 

She said it's hard to predict how much time that process will take — and estimates it could be at least six weeks. But in the meantime, excitement is growing — and staff are promising patrons that the new library will be worth the wait. 

"That's usually what we say: 'progress is happening, we've seen it, it's going ahead. We're very excited. It looks beautiful, and when we get in there, you will be amazed,'" said Clinton. 

The budget for the library was initially $16.6 million — Wade Arsenault with CADC said that has now grown to just over $17 million. 

The provincial and federal governments have committed $12 million to project, with remaining funds expected to come from non-profit group Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Inc.

Officials with that group won't say how much of those funds have already been raised, but said the amount is now "well over 50 per cent."