YORKTON - For anyone still clinging to the hope Council might rescind the approved sale of the current Public Library Building it did not happen.
A report on the sale was given at Council’s regular meeting Monday, but the report was filed without motion.
In the end, it was obvious Yorkton Council painted themselves into a corner with the sale, leaving themselves no way out.
Of course it was also rather obvious Council was woefully oblivious to the importance of downtown location, easy access and sufficient room were to many in the city.
And, no effort was made to ask the community for feedback on the sale and move before it was already too late to alter the course.
There is a business aspect to the decision, back filling empty city space at the Gallagher Centre, and generating tax dollars off the existing building, questions remain such as will the business model rule now?
Is a for sale sign to be posted on a facility such as Deer Park Golf Course where a sale would get the city out from under a $7 million payment schedule on the clubhouse, would divest itself of a property barely operating a break even on operations each year, and could generate big tax dollars.
And, why was a proposed pump track development where dollars were budgeted put on hold pending a recreation review being undertaken in the city, but the library building could be sold and services moved without referencing the upcoming review?
It has ultimately been a very messy and badly handled process that should leave a bad taste in the mouth of even sale proponents, and no one on Council can feel pleased with how it all played out.
But, then Monday night a glimmer of hope regarding the library came through thanks to Mayor Mitch Hippsley.
The first motion was to rescind the section which would move the library to the Gallagher Centre to allow time to seek a possible alternate location.
And, then a second motion to rescind the move to tender the work at the Gallagher Centre.
Both motions passed with only Councillor Chris Wyatt opposed to both.
Hippsley said his motions were “an excellent opportunity for thinking outside the box” in finding an alternate location that would fit better with the desire of many in the community to have a more centralized location with better access and more room.
“It’s (the library) the community living room,” he said. “What I heard the other night (presentations made to Council May 15) the Gallagher Centre was not going to suffice.”
Of course the question is where is better?
Well the obvious answer is the roomy former liquor board store building right in the middle of the city.
Whether the building is available is a question, but hopefully Hippsley was whispering in Premier Scott Moe’s ear when he visited June 1, that the city is interested.
Parking is ample.
Being right next to the City Centre Park is ideal for programming.
The basically open space should be rather quick to redesign.
There will be a cost, but the city has $1.5 million from the sale, and Councillor Chris Wyatt pegged annual savings on the sale and taxes generated conservatively at $100,000, so the start of a payment is obvious.
Add in new ideas like selling naming rights to the library, and the framework to make it work starts to take shape.
And, if it costs the city more, well when you make a mess as the city surely has in this library debacle, you have to be willing to pay the clean-up costs.
Wherever the library goes, it is to be hoped it is better received than the Gallagher Centre location has been.
