Vernon to get new library

Ted Bacigalupo, chair of Okanagan Regional Library board, addresses press conference, with two concept drawings to his left. (Photo courtesy ORL)

At a press conference on Monday, February 22, 2010, the Chair of the Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) Board, Ted Bacigalupo announced that a new library branch will be built at 2808 30th Ave. in Vernon. The land and financing needed to build the new facility has been made possible by a co-operation between the City of Vernon, the North Okanagan Regional District (NORD) and the ORL.

Download: architectural concept drawings document.

The city is generously selling the land, which has been a parking lot for many years, to the ORL for the grand sum of $10 and also waiving the costs for zoning and bylaw issues.

Scheduled to be open by 2013, the new library will replace the present undersized one on 32nd Ave. Chairman Bacigalupo commented on the project, “The current branch is 13,000 square feet and according to ORL guidelines, it should be approximately 30,000 square feet for the population base it serves.”

“The City is thankful it’s able to do this, and in some respects has to thank the vision and foresight of previous Councils,” said Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert during the press conference. “This piece of land was purchased for an intersection that, at that time (the 1980s), they anticipated would be needed. Since then it has been surplus land, and I can tell you our Council is pleased it is now going to such an excellent use at no extra cost to the taxpayers of this community.”

The NORD Board is also supporting this project by applying to the Municipal Finance Authority on the ORL’s behalf to borrow up to $11 million for construction costs. The new branch will have room to expand its collection and more room for programming, study spaces, and computer stations.

“Our customers are crowded in every corner of this building. For example, we squish 80-100 children and parents into our small children’s area for Monday’s storyime,” says Vernon Branch Head Maureen Curry. “We are absolutely thrilled we’ll be able to offer our customers more comfort and expanded services in the new building.”

Okanagan Regional Library Board AGM

Other ORL Board news came out of the February 17, 2010 AGM in which all of last year’s Officers were returned for this year.

• Chair – Ted Bacugalupo, Director, Columbia Shuswap Regional District
• Vice Chair – Noreen Guenther, Councillor, Lake Country
• Finance Committee Chair – Jack Bennest, Councillor, Oliver
• Personnel Committee Chair – Ivan Idzan, Councillor, Salmon Arm
• Policy and Planning Committee Chair – Carol Zanon, Councillor, West Kelowna
• New on the Board for this year are Chris Pieper, Mayor of Armstrong and Gary Thielmann, Councillor in Keremeos.

New ORL website goes live

Readers are encouraged to visit the ORL’s new, totally-re-designed website, created by an ORL team, together with Kelowna marketing firm Twin Creek Media. The URL remains the same at http://www.orl.bc.ca. Internet users will be able to better navigate the sight now.

Some of the new features include:

• A master events calendar, accessible by branch, date or event type
• Searchable ORL and BC “Library to Go” catalogues
• A news and events page for up-to-date information
• Links to ORL’s Facebook and Twitter pages
• In-depth financial and administrative information about the ORL
• Online “Join” form
• Links to booklists, recommended websites, e-Resources for children, teens and book lovers

“This has been an extremely satisfying and challenging project for our company,” says Twin Creek Media owner James Shaw. “The Okanagan Regional Library is complex – there are so many services available!”

As part of the launch of the newly-designed site, a new kid’s mascot has been unveiled and a contest has been announced for children, aged 3-15 years, to “Name the Marmot”. The winner will receive a $200 customized prize pack. Suggestions for the name can be made on the website at: http://www.orl,bc,ca/kids/marmot.