It’s taken the better part of a year, but the Thomas Raddall Library has found a new home at Queens Place.

Last year, Region of Queens council formed a committee comprised of library officials, users, and councillors to evaluate several possible sites and recommend a location.

The committee determined a lot adjacent to Queens Place was best for several reasons including proximity of other recreational opportunities, the ease of access for all residents of Queens and the fact the land is already owned by the municipality.

When the recommendation was made to site the new library at Queens Place in June2022 council was divided as some councillors felt the library should stay close to its current location in downtown Liverpool while others wanted to relocate the institution alongside the recreation complex.

At the June meeting, the majority of councillors rejected the recommendation and instructed the committee to return with another that wasn’t Queens Place.

After six months spent evaluating three other locations the committee brought the same recommendation back to council this week.

Through the course of their research the committee determined building the library at any of the other possible locations would add a half million dollars to the construction.

Adding to the pressure to find a new home for Thomas Raddall Library is the fact the Rossignal Centre in which the library is located is up for sale.

Mayor Darlene Norman says council did what it need to do to ensure a library remains in Queens.

“Councillors who had previously voted against understood with these new facts in front of them, they were very unwilling to place these additional costs [on the taxpayer]. They were very concerned about the fact that we need, we must have a library and they seem to understand that this was the best place for it,”

The new location passed by majority with four councillors and the mayor in favour, Deputy Mayor Jack Fancy voting against and Councillors Muise and Gidney abstaining from the vote.

The library will be built adjacent to the sliding hill at the end of Queens Place Drive.

Norman says now that a site has been selected, the project planning team can get to work on designs and a timeline for construction.

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