The Barrie Public Library is beginning a new chapter.
The City of Barrie has released the first rendering of the future Letitia Heights branch of the Barrie Public Library, offering a glimpse of the long-awaited addition to the city’s library system.
Mayor Alex Nuttall, Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson, Coun. Amy Courser, Counc. Nigussie Nigussie, and Barrie Public Library CEO Lauren Jessop unveiled the rendering Tuesday at the library’s future site. The new branch will sit in a commercial plaza at 420 Leacock Dr. on the city’s northwest side.
The new 4,800-square-foot branch will occupy the former O’Hara’s Public House space and is intended to expand access to library services for residents in the Letitia Heights community.
Thomson, who represents the area on council, said the branch is a significant investment.
“This is very important to this community,” he said.
“It is an important investment in northwest Barrie in literacy, lifelong learning, connection and creative spaces where people of all ages feel welcome and supported.”
Nuttall said one of council’s priorities early in the current term was bringing city services to neighbourhoods facing greater economic challenges.
“One of the things that we worked on very early on as a council was to try to get city services into neighbourhoods that had income inequality in comparison with some other neighbourhoods around the city,” he said.
“Some of that work has focused on recreation and opening up existing gymnasiums in schools, and in this case, it’s about putting a library smack in the centre of one of our older neighbourhoods – one that I believe has lacked services over the years when it comes to access to a library and, certainly, all of the things that come with the Barrie Public Library.”
Nuttall also credited Thomson with helping to bring the project to fruition.
“Deputy mayor, thank you for pushing this through and making sure that it happened,” he said.
“This is one of two libraries that are in the works right now, but this is the one that really hits home,” Nuttall said. “The deputy mayor and I both grew up in neighbourhoods just like this, and that’s why it’s so important to make sure services are available in communities like this.”
Jessop said the new branch comes at a time when Barrie’s growing population is increasing demand for community gathering spaces.
“As Barrie continues to grow, so does the need for community spaces that bring people together,” she said.
“This new location supports the library’s strategic vision to expand access to services, meet residents where they are and create vibrant, inclusive spaces that respond to the needs of a growing city.”
The Letitia Heights branch is expected to offer literacy support, programs, Wi-Fi, computers and community space.
Another library branch is in the works, which will be in the future southeast recreation complex.
