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Friends of the RPL Board meeting Members welcome Thursday Jan 12, 7:30 PM For more info call 535-9570 Regina Public Library Board Meeting 4:30 PM, 2nd Floor, Central Branch Jan 4, AGM; Regular meetings Feb 28, Mar 27, Apr 24, May 22, June 25, Sept 24, Oct 22, Nov 20, Dec 11, 2012. Contact FRPL Express your views on future directions. Fill in FRPL's member survey. See survey The FRPL Board of Directors 2010-2011 Mail: FRPL, 2042 Garnet Street, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4T 2Z6 Telephone: (306) 535-9570 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Facebook site |
Regent
Branch Moving Updated Jan 7, 2012 Regent Branch will be moving to two blocks south to 331 Albert St. in the Market Mall. The new spot will have more space, easier access and better parking. The Regent Branch lease is up at the end of January for its current location at 107 Albert St .. The Branch will have a smaller temporary location at 309 Albert St.. Some material and furniture will be put into storage while the new location is being fixed up for the library to use. See Leader post article Heritage Value - Central Branch & Masonic Temple SOS - Update re Heritage Updated Jan 7, 2012 Recently released assessments show that the Central Branch building and the neighbouring Masonic Temple have unique architectural features and historical value. Central Branch SOS Masonic Temple SOS The Masons are the current owners of the building, which is the historical provincial centre for the Masons, an important organization in the fabric of our City and Province. Currently the Masonic Temple is a fully designated heritage property under the Victoria Park Municipal Heritage Conservation District bylaw and it is also listed under the Municipal Heritage Holding Bylaw. Because it has been the headquarters for the Grand Lodge provincial level Masonic organization and is the only Masonic building of its kind in Saskatchewan the Masonic Temple also has the potential to be designated as a provincial heritage site. More information about heritage designation An informative article about the downtown heritage district There are Conservation District Bylaws in place for the Victoria Park area, and for Knox-Metropolitan Church. Victoria Park Conservation District Bylaw Knox-Metropolitan Church Conservation District Bylaw Significant alteration or demolition of the Victoria Park buildings must be reviewed by City bylaw, heritage and senior staff, and then the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee and the Regina Planning Commission before going to a vote at City Council. Properties covered by the Municipal Heritage Holding Bylaw. "... are protected against demolition or significant change under a 60- day holding period." Municipal Heritage Holding Bylaw List During the 60 - day holding period groups may make presentations to the Municipal Heritage Advisory committee (MHAC) concerning the demolition. The MHAC can then either: - designate the property as a Municipal Heritage Property, giving it additional protection; OR . - take the property off the Municipal Heritage Holding Bylaw list, allowing significant alteration or demolition to occur. It is possible for the MHAC to designate a property even if the owners do not support it. But it is better if owners and the public are supportive and recognize the historical value of buildings. Building owners or other organizations can apply to have a building protected as having historical value at the municipal, provincial or federal levels. The Statements of Significance were initiated by the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee in 2010. MHAC minutes They did not become available to the public until December of this year. The SOS also cover other buildings in the area surrounding Victoria Park. Credit Foncier Building SOS Gordon Block SOS (Novia Cafe building) Victoria Park Building SOS (Copper Kettle) Another resource shows the geological significance of the stonework in downtown buildings. Geological Tour of Downtown Regina Currently the City has only approved one building built after 1945 as having heritage value. Heritage Regina has in the past requested that the City do an inventory of modern buildings in the whole downtown to determine their heritage value. This would presumably look at how buildings with interesting and unique architectural styles contribute to the beauty and variety of Regina's downtown. Maintaining the heritage character of the Victoria Park area should be an important consideration in upgrading Central Branch as it relates to how the Library supports community values and cultural resources. The one plan that has been circulated so far for the new Central Branch showed both Central Branch building and the Masonic Temple gone and replaced with a large office tower complex. See our News page It seems that to fulfill the plan we have seen so far, Harvard Developments would purchase the land from the Masons and build the five storey "Cultural Centre" on the Masons' site. The Library could not afford such a development unless it set up a debenture to have Reginans support the work of revamping Central Branch. The large building developed would be owned by Harvard Developments and the Library would lease back space from Harvard. The Library would remain in its old building until the new building was built on the Masonic Temple site. The Central Library would then be torn down and an office tower/condo complex, would be built in its place. It is not clear whether Harvard would purchase the land owned by the Library, or whether the Library would continue to own the land and Harvard would own the building that is placed on the land - the "air rights". There is considerable public interest in the Masonic Temple as a heritage building, although there has been no public opportunity to express this interest. Considerable interest has also been expressed by Regina residents and architects and heritage supporters from across the country in preserving the modernist Central Library building. One alternative is to build up and over the current building. It is not known if this option has been considered by the RPL Board or the architects. After the presentation to City Hall this spring by the Masons, and their concerns about not having had discussions with the Library Board or developers, if the Library Board wants to proceed with its large building plans, it is to be expected that discussions would proceed with the Masons regarding the purchase of their building and the neighbouring parking lot, although no public announcements have been made, and would likely not be made until after the Masons had completed their discussions with Harvard, with either the Masons deciding to retain their property or a deal being signed with Harvard Developments. Considerable interest has also been expressed by Regina residents and architects and heritage supporters from across the country in preserving the modernist Central Library building. There is considerable public interest in the Masonic Temple as a heritage building and part of the Victoria Park Municipal Heritage Conservation District, although there has been no public opportunity to express this interest. Library Workers' Contract Being Sent to Conciliation The contract talks between the staff of the Regina Public Library (CUPE 1594) and the RPL Board have not been successful and both sides have agreed to send the matter for conciliation with the provincial labour relations board. The workers have been without a contract for two years. See Leader Post article 2011 City and Library Budgets On Monday Dec. 12 at 5:30 City Council approved the proposed 1.9% increase to the RPL budget. In the spring of 2011 City Council approved RPL increasing its rate by 3.36% for the 2011 budget. The 2012 budget includes increases in spending on administration and branch development and a decrease in funds for staffing. See RPL 2012 proposed budget See FRPL presentation to City Council re RPL budget Library Workers Launch Website Staff of the Regina Public Library, members of CUPE 1594, have started a website to share their views about their work and the Library, and highlight current activities and actions.See check_us_out.net Design Regina On Sept. 29, 2011 FRPL held a Citizen's Circle as part of the Design Regina process. See summary of FRPL's Citizen's Circle discussion FRPL made a presentation to the Design Regina Ideas Fair held Oct.25 See FRPL presentation to Design Regina FRPL members participated in discussions at the Public Forum held the following two days. Discussions at the Forum showed that Reginans see libraries as an important part of the City’s future and an important part of the complete neighbourhoods envisioned at the Forum. The City is now reviewing the results of the Forum and an open house with the next version of the planning priorities is expected in March 2012. More information about Design Regina FRPL AGM FRPL's Annual General Meeting was held on Sunday Sept. 25, 2011. The event was well attended and positive discussions were held concerning the libraries and the upcoming agenda of FRPL. See our Activities page. Prince of Wales - In New Location! A farewell barbeque was held at the old Prince of Wales Branch building, 2188 Broder Street, on Saturday June 25, 2011, with current and former library-goers and staff attending. On August 30 the branch began operations in its new location! See RPL's photos of the construction. Brenda Niskala brought greetings on behalf of FRPL to the Branch's official opening on October 17. Congratulations to the community members, staff, RPL Board members and the design team that contributed to this project! New Central Library - Cultural Centre proposal supported On Monday June 13 at 5:30 City Council voted to endorse a proposal by the RPL Board for a Cultural Centre to replace the Central Branch. See documents and agenda for City Council meeting. The Masons made a presentation emphasizing the need for fuller discussion with them concerning what they want to do with their property. In a media interview afterward the RPL Board chair stated that the library would include all of the services it now has, including the Film Theater and the Dunlop Art Gallery. City support was needed for the RPL to submit an application to the federal public private partnerships fund (P3Canada) by the end of June. See Leader Post article. The broadest concept is the one that was posted on the Internet earlier this spring, but other ideas have also been developed. See Prairie Dog article with building illustrations. See Surprisebrary Prairie Dog article. It will be important for the public to remain informed about the proposal, submit their views to the RPL Board and City Council, and participate fully in consultation processes. See our News page Rebuilding the Slave Lake Library – One Donation at a Time The public library in the Town of Slave Lake was completely destroyed on Sunday, May 15, as a result of a huge forest fire. See how to help North Central Shared Facility On April 18 it was publicly announced that $38 million in capital funding has been promised for the North Central Shared Facility. A new Albert Library Branch will be part of the facility. See our News page One Hundred Year History of the Regina Public Library In commemoration of the Regina Public Library’s 100-year anniversary, the Friends of the RPL are undertaking a history book on the past hundred years of the Regina Public Library, in partnership with the RPL and the Canadian Plains Research Center. The history project will include excerpts from oral histories of former RPL staff, essays by library staff and library supporters, archival documents and photos. For further details about the project click here! Regina Public Library Board Meetings FRPL attends these meetings and makes presentations as needed. To make a presentation to the RPL Board, provide a hard copy of your presentation by noon of the previous Wednesday, You can read your written presentation to the open public portion of the meeting which starts at 4:30 at the Central Library Boardroom and usually lasts for about half an hour. The rest of the meeting is closed to the public. See RPL board meetings, board members and previous minutes at: http://www.rpl.regina.sk.ca/about/board.html FRPL on FaceBook FRPL has a FaceBook site. Check it out! |
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