GuelphToday received the following letter to the editor from Jess Clausen who recently moved back to the area and is dismayed to find the the old central library "limping on as an aging piece of infrastructure."
I recently moved back to Guelph after almost 20 years away from the city. At the time I left, an active search was on for a new location for a sorely needed new main library. I have arrived back to Guelph to find the old central library limping on as an aging piece of infrastructure now in desperate need of replacement. The library elevator, currently unavailable, is one example of infrastructure urgently in need of repair. The elevator, which has been out of service since Oct. 5, 2022, requires access to an oil pipe that operates the hydraulics buried under concrete. How has the city addressed these issues considering that accessibility is a right that is enshrined in legislation?
I was curious when a campaign ad from Cam Guthrie about the library popped up in my Facebook feed. Guthrie's short video was a 2 1/2 minute journey in cognitive dissonance. First, Guthrie recounted that he had voted against spending $62 million dollars to fund a new library. Then, he explained how the process to build a new library can't be cancelled – he has looked into it – cancellation would involve risks to the city, risks to taxpayers and risks to our reputation. We need a mayor and council, Guthrie continued, that will partner with other levels of government to secure funding and look for sponsorship opportunities from the private sector to reduce the impact on taxpayers.
Guthrie then pivoted and said that if the bids for the new main library exceed $62 million, he will call for a stop and a pause to reconsider the project in light of other infrastructure priorities.
The new main library will come in over $62 million. Anyone who goes to the grocery store knows that we are living in an inflationary environment. And bids for the $80-million south-end-rec-centre recently came in 50 per cent over budget. We can reasonably expect the same for bids for the library.
What I hear Guthrie saying is that he is willing to put the City of Guelph, taxpayers and our reputation at risk on the basis of fully and reasonably expected cost increases for the library.
I think Guthrie has lost sight of the big picture. The new main library is the linchpin of the redevelopment of the entire Baker District – a property Guthrie himself has identified as an "underperforming asset." When it is fully built, I understand it will generate around $1 million annually in new property taxes.
Here's where the financial and reputational risks come in: Guelph has partnered with Windmill Developments to construct the library and the Baker District. Windmill is bringing anywhere from $125 - $175 million of private sector investment to the Baker District project. Business investment is attracted by certainty. If Guthrie and his anti-library allies on council slam the brakes on the library project, Windmill could walk and we could find ourselves not just embroiled in litigation over the Police Station reno fiasco, but the Baker District as well. The key attraction for buyers of the condos Windmill is planning to build will be to be living in the centre of a dynamic pedestrian district with an attractive new library just steps away. Any delay of the library will have a direct impact on Windmill's bottom line.
And what about upper levels of government and the private sector sponsors? Why should anyone contribute to a project that is constantly being undermined and questioned by the very person who should be leading the project?
We need leaders who will protect our reputation and our economic viability. We need leaders who have the foresight and vision to champion a revitalized downtown and a desperately needed new main library. After watching Guthrie's video, he is clearly not the leader we need.
Jess Clausen, PhD
