The building contract for an $8.6-million Vancouver Island Regional Library expansion project slated for Nanaimo’s north end has been awarded to Century Group Inc., of Victoria.
Work on the new Nanaimo North Library will commence in early 2013 and includes partial demolition of the existing building that houses VIRL’s administrative staff, renovations to the portion of the building remaining, and the addition of a new 17,600 sq. ft. library space, at 6250 Hammond Bay Rd.
“We are very excited to have reached this milestone in our plan to build a new library in the north of the city,” said library board chairwoman Ronna-Rae Leonard, in a press release. “The residents of north Nanaimo have been waiting for a library for a long time.”
Once complete in spring 2014, the library will feature large windows to take advantage of natural light, and will complement the mature evergreen trees that surround the site. Two meeting rooms will be available for public use, there will be room for programs aimed at children and adults, and comfortable and quiet places for reading and studying.
Free internet and wireless network access will also be available.
Vancouver Island Regional Library is the fourth-largest library system in British Columbia, serving more than 430,000 people on Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and Bella Coola on the central coast through 38 branches, a virtual branch, and a Books by Mail service.