Library Opens to Great Fanfare…
Posted by John Malloy on 06/22/2010
Morgan Ian Adams -
So there I was recently,, amongst several hundred people on Thursday, willingly baking my brains out on the tarmac in front of the new ‘municipal building’ that houses our stupendous public library.
I’m on record as not being entirely impressed with the exterior, not that it’s architect Henry Wong’s fault; he delivered exactly as he was asked: a faux heritage building. Inside, however, well, I just love it.
I’m also a big supporter of the library, and one of these days I should be heading in to buy a brick; at least one, anyway, from part of the proceeds of my book on Glory Whalen.
So there I was, Thursday, with Mrs. Scoop (who is also a big supporter of the library, and a volunteer), to celebrate the culmination of years of work by successive library boards, and the library’s CEO, Kerri Robinson.
Major-General Richard Rohmer spoke well, as did Mayor Chris Carrier; however, little did I know the celebration was steeped in subterfuge and illusion.
Yes, it’s true, the building was not ‘inaugurated’ by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who was nowhere near Collingwood at the time of the ceremony, and it probably should be noted the people of Collingwood have come up with about $1.2 million in fundraising (about a half-million more than what the feds kicked in).
And yes, it’s true that as a councillor, Mayor Carrier wasn’t that supportive of the library (the exact number used, during a presentation by the library in 2003, was 35 people using the library 100 times a week; Carrier also noted that, “Frankly, they (the library administration) need to be better money managers than they currently are,” and claimed that the previous facility was meeting the then-current needs of users.)
And yes, he did vote against the library on numerous occasions as a councillor, notably in 2005 when council approved the expansion; though that appeared to be more an issue of approving a capital project outside of the budget process.
I suitably chastised him at the time he commented that the 3,500 people through the doors could be the same 35 people, and by the time the last election rolled around, the mayor appeared to be firmly onside — a support that seems to have been unwavering these last three-and-a-half years.
And yes, there are quite a few people who could have stood up and spoken, as the credit for this achievement can be shared among quite a few people, starting with Kerri at the top, successive library board chairs David Ripley and Donna Mansfield, Mayor Terry Geddes, former CAO Gord Norris, project supervisor Ron Martin, council library reps Ian Chadwick and Norman Sandberg…
But why harp on the negatives? Rather, Chadwick should reflect on the success of the community able to bring such a grand project to fruition, rather than use it as yet another heavy-handed denuciation of the mayor.
eastendunderground.wordpress.com
Posted by
John Malloy
on 06/22/2010. Filed under
Collingwood.
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