Winnipeggers fight relocation of West Kildonan library to Garden City mall
Residents' associations have concerns about natural light, privatization of libraries
Garden City and West Kildonan residents told city councillors Monday they don't like how the next chapter is being written for a local library.
Winnipeg's city staff want to relocate the West Kildonan library from Jefferson Avenue to inside the Garden City Shopping Centre.
The library needs repairs, a city report says. The building is at the end of its life and therefore needs to be moved, city staff said.
But at Monday's property and development committee, residents shared a handful of concerns about esthetics and accessibility.
The proposed section of the mall wouldn't have any windows, the proposal says.
Daniel Guenther with the Garden City Residents' Association and members of the Seven Oaks Residents' Association are concerned moving the library from a stand-alone building in a residential area to a mall would make it harder for seniors and students to safely bike and walk there.
With the current location, "they can go on a city sidewalk and be able to access a public library on their own, not having to take a bus, not having to take a car, not having to get a parent to drive them," Guenther said during the meeting.
"I've had principals of the local schools reaching out to me, saying that this affects how they do their field trips to the local libraries. A nice walk through of the neighborhood now becomes an unsafe walk to an inaccessible mall, not a trip to a library."
Residents said they weren't recently consulted about this plan. The idea of relocating the library has been in the works since 2012, but Guenther said his community members only heard about this new plan last week.
Many also shared concerns this would be the beginning of privatizing libraries in Winnipeg, since a commercial retail developer would have control over the space.
Beneficial partnerships: Lukes
That didn't sit well with Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West).
"Sometimes these partnerships are beneficial to taxpayers. They're not evil partnerships. They're beneficial," she said during the meeting.
"I do take a little bit of offence to the whole evilness associated by working together, because the city can't do everything on its own."
WATCH | The fight to relocate West Kildonan library:
During the meeting, Lukes repeatedly brought up the fact that northwest Winnipeg has more libraries than her neighbourhoods in southern Winnipeg.
City staff insisted this is the way to go. During the committee meeting, many said it was cost beneficial and would move the library to an area with more traffic, increasing library memberships.
The committee voted to move the original lease proposal along to the executive policy committee next week. They did, however, add a recommendation that the library be accessible to everyone, even if people weren't allowed in the mall for another reason, like for previous shoplifting.
These plans will go to council as a whole at the end of the month.
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