you
Good evening. I'm calling to order the West Harbour site vision committee meeting for Wednesday,
May 27, 2026. The time is 5.30. First, we have our land acknowledgement. The city of Hamilton
is situated upon the traditional territories of the Geary, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee,
and Mississauga. This land is covered by the dish with one spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an
agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe to share and care for the resources around the
Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the between the lakes purchased 1792
between the Crown and the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation. Today the city of Hamilton
is home to many indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we recognize that we must do more
to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as
residents, neighbors, partners, and caretakers. Next up, we have the acceptance of the agenda.
Do I have a mover for this, please? Dana, seconded by Lynn. All those in favor of the
agenda? So carried. Item three, the minutes of the March 24, 2026 meeting. Do I have a mover
for this, please? Lynn, seconded by Dana. I noticed a correction that needs to be made in that
it is titled the Hamilton Public Library Board and that should probably be
titled with the vision committee. Is there any other corrections or changes that need to be
made to the minutes? Seeing none, call to order or call to vote to approve the minutes as adjusted.
Carried. Decoration conflict. I need conflicts to be declared tonight.
Seeing none, moving on to 5.1 presentation, the engagement process, the visitor experience
strategy and preliminary facility plan by Doug Goldstein, Alexander Gooding, and Sean Stanwick.
And we turn to you Cindy for this, please. Thank you Board Chair and I'll do an introduction.
Sending apologies, Doug Goldstein will not be presenting tonight but what I have here is Alex
Gooding and a new phase, Sean Stanwick. Alex Gooding is the project manager at Lord Cultural
Resources helping to oversee the project and it's many components. And Sean Stanwick is
the director of facilities planning at Lord Cultural Resources. So a lot of great work has been
happening as part of the listening and learning phase one. That's part of the engagement work
as well as some of the work after that that includes the visitor experience strategy
and some preliminary work on the facilities plan. So it's moving along quite well
and I'm going to hand it over to Alex and Sean to discuss. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Cindy. I'll just go ahead and share my screen.
You can just confirm that you can see my screen.
Yes, we can see it. Thank you.
Thank you. Okay, so hello. It's lovely to be here and presenting this second update to you all.
It's been I think two months now since we last saw you and as Cindy mentioned,
the project is progressing very well. So just a very quick overview will go through
the final engagement activities that we've carried out since we last met with you.
I will report you back on the visitor experience strategy and then Sean will take
over to discuss the preliminary facility planning. So overall progress just sort of
been updated where we are. So we have, you know, as before concluded our startup meetings,
all background document review, all engagement activities are now complete. So when we last
met, there were a few that were lingering. We've submitted the final engagement report.
We've also submitted our final comparables, potential market and contextual analysis report.
And what I'll be talking to you today is the draft visitor experience strategy and then
Sean has mentioned we'll discuss the progress on preliminary facility planning.
So just jumping right in. So as I mentioned, there were a few outstanding engagement activities
since we last met with you, primarily the listening circles with the two First Nations
and the interested parties online survey. These have now happened. So the interested
parties survey was conducted in early and sort of mid-February followed then by the
listening circles with Six Nations of the Grand River and first Mississauga of the Credit First
Nation. So the interested parties survey was distributed through targeted emails, through
library and Indigenous Relations Division staff to a total of 56 interested parties.
Of those 56, 31 responded to the survey. So one representative from each interested
party stakeholder group. And of the 31 that responded, three were Indigenous organizations.
And some of these, so I've just got a note there as well, nine of the parties that
responded to the survey also participated in the interested parties interviews,
which we discussed and presented to you last time. And similar to the public survey,
respondents who self-identified as Indigenous were then also shown us an additional set
of questions pertaining to how they see the role of this, the redevelopment of the site
and how it can best represent Indigenous presence and cultures.
So when asked about the role of what this new centre could be, this green vision site,
many said that it would be a space, they see it as a space for learning, community meeting
space, showcasing local stories of talent, a cultural attraction for visitors and linking
people to the waterfront. So a lot of common themes from what we heard the overall public
engagement. They also saw it serving a wide range of audiences, including underserved or equity
seeking communities, the broader city of Hamilton and families with children. A smaller percentage
saw it potentially serving tourists and visitors, as well as artists and creative professionals
and students and educators. The amenities that they sort of identified as the top priorities
were spaces to learn about Indigenous and Hamilton history, Indigenous led programming spaces,
social gathering spaces, a branch and a Hamilton public library branch offering core services
and collections. And we're very happy to hear that there's a temporary pop-up
branch opening soon, as well as exhibits about local Indigenous histories and cultures.
So once again, everything really aligned with what we had heard from the other streams of
engagement. The top priorities that they identified for the centre was to space, sorry, share
Indigenous cultures, strengthening the cultural identity for Hamilton, presenting greater access
to learning and creativity, community collaboration partnerships and economic benefits for Hamilton.
And what they thought would make it a success in terms of the broader waterfront redevelopment
was the site's potential to act as a cultural anchor for the district, to provide shared public
amenities, be a year-round destination, so attracting year-round visitation,
complementing existing or other planned areas so as to not duplicate efforts
and supporting local employment and business growth. And the collaboration and partnership
model was also a key finding, saying that they could see their organisation, their institution,
participating through either programming partnerships, specific programs for children,
youth and families that align with local Indigenous histories and providing mental
health, wellness and or other social support services. So it sounds like there are already
a number of parties who are interested in knowing how they could potentially support you and be
involved. And what they thought would make this place a success, once again, is really
aligned with everything that we had heard before, but this idea that it's a year-round hub,
it's not seasonal, it's not just in the summer, this is a site that is activated and well
used all throughout the year. It's a site that encourages community connection and helps build
social cohesion. It has rich and diverse programming for many audiences. It's publicly
accessible and it remains an inclusive space in all senses, so financially, physically,
intellectually in all of those ways. The idea of strong partnerships and collaboration,
helping to run the space, it's holistically co-created with Indigenous partners and this
is something that we heard through all engagement, especially with Indigenous engagement,
which I'll touch upon momentarily, that it's financially and operationally sustainable
and that it's a place to safely belong and feel empowered and inspired.
The Indigenous component or responses of those surveys, again factoring and there were only
three responses, but they did also align with what we heard in the public, so supporting the idea
for accessible design that supports all ages, quiet reflection spaces for grounding, warm natural
materials, wayfinding, potentially using Indigenous languages or symbols, spaces arranged in circular
or non-hierarchical layouts and pulling on other Indigenous design principles.
They felt that this new centre, the space, could honour Indigenous people by allowing outdoor
activities with access to the water, creating flexible and circular spaces for larger groups to
gather, providing lots of natural light and incorporating Indigenous artwork and exhibitions
to help showcase their cultures. They felt the visitors need to understand the importance
of connection to land and water and of course the waterfront location of this site is something
that we repeatedly hear as one of the most important and exciting elements of it,
as well as the importance for truth-telling, so really teaching local communities about the
histories of Indigenous peoples in different First Nations in and around Hamilton.
And just having a quick, yes, of course that it can support Indigenous communities by helping
people to navigate government services and also inviting and hosting Indigenous speakers for educational
purposes. In February, as I mentioned, we had two separate listening circles,
one with the Six Nations of the Grand River and one with Mississauga's of the Credit.
Both were a lot more unstructured, I would say, than how we would go into an interview,
and that's partly because we go into these really just wanting the First Nations to tell
us what it is that they feel is most important. They have a chance to ask questions and the
conversation is a lot more organic and really depends on where they would like to take that
conversation. So in this case, we did discuss things like truth-telling, interpretation,
the opportunity for learning, environmental stewardship, and the importance of outdoor
spaces. And the Six Nations identified that this site is an important opportunity to help people
understand and learn about the Haudenosaunee people, that it's really a strong push for them.
They see it as an opportunity for them to tell their story about their identity.
Truth is foundational and this idea again about the opportunity to tell the truth, to really explain
this to non-Indigenous visitors as well. It cannot be pan-Indigenous and this is something
that we heard again throughout all engagement, which also underscores the need to have these
ongoing conversations with them. Six Nations expressed a clear openness to engaging and
sort of navigating or discussing with the Mississaugas in thinking that there should be
like an equal split in terms of both stories, both nations should have space to tell their
own stories and their own histories. They thought, you know, focus on traditional
teaching and sharing about Indigenous practices such as cooking and beading.
And again for them, the water remains a very important focus of the experience.
So just a few quotes from them again focusing on the outdoor gathering, that idea of reconnecting
to Earth, the opportunity for Indigenous expression and that the libraries where people will merge
and will come to this place because they already associate the library with learning and it's
an opportunity for the Learning and Six Nations to work together to help tell that story of
Six Nations. The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the conversation had some
similarities, some overlaps in terms of topics. So of course, talking about interpretation,
language, its importance, the authenticity and the concern of pretend Indigenous people.
This is something that we're aware of. And again environmental stewardship with a common
thread there. The key takeaways that we had from this session were that it's important,
they very much feel it's very important that Mississaugas of the Credit are recognized and
included in the project, that they have a voice at the table, that they're able to be heard.
Pardon me. Again the commonality that this cannot be a pan-Indigenous
Place. Treaty holders must be honored, recognizing and working to ensure that we are being inclusive
of others, making space for others, other treaty holders, so in this case sort of an indirect
reference perhaps to Six Nations, that there are different paths, but different stories,
but they all converge at some point. And I think this was a really beautiful way of
putting it in something that we're hoping to capture as well, that we hope we've captured
in the visitor experience. And again, this idea that water is core, water is very important,
to the learning experience, especially at this site, and the truth is foundational,
and that it's not meant to hurt people, but it's used as an element to help people understand
the history of different peoples in and around Hamilton.
I gained just a few quotes. So, you know, ensuring that we're inclusive and recognizing others,
the library's a trusted source. This, again, this idea that the library's a knowledge
center of knowledge is an opportunity, and partnerships is being very significant.
So, at the end of our engagement activities, we had spoken, we've conducted 13 interviews with
interested parties to separate pop-up events. We had 31 responses on this survey, nearly 900
responses on the public survey. Over 90 people were engaged at the pop-ups, two listening
circles with First Nations, and also two vision workshops at the very outset. And the findings
from all of this engagement were really crucial and foundational instead of paving the preliminary
directions for the visitor experience strategy. So, moving into the visitor experience strategy,
at a very high level, the visitor experience strategy seeks to
define the guiding principles, the visitor experience goals,
the site's interpretive focus, who your target audiences are going to be,
what the overall visitor journey and experience is intended to be, and that will help shape and
inform the facilities and design work later. Thinking about different ways of interpretation,
identifying potential types of educational and public programs, activities, events,
all of which will help to activate the space and make it a year-round hub.
And it introduces early directions for these sites, the re-envision sites identity.
So, the big idea sort of at a highest level for this place is that this new site,
this redeveloped site, must feel alive, not static, social, not silent, and contemporary,
not historic. It's intended to be, as I mentioned, an everyday community hub,
anchored by the library. The library is the heart of the site. It's a site that's
grounded in truth and indigenous authenticity. And through everyday activities and amenities,
the goal is for this to become a true third space where people and residents come to learn,
connect, and simply belong. So, we've established a set of guiding principles.
And guiding principles essentially help to create a clear foundation to guide decision-making,
which ultimately helps staff to create and stakeholders to create a consistent cohesive
experience across all of the offerings that ultimately come to be implemented and defined.
So, anytime a question arises, you sort of come back to these and go,
is the decision we're making in alignment with these principles?
So, the nine guiding principles are the idea that this space is a living knowledge center.
Gathering is the core experience. This is a space that is grounded in indigenous
authenticity and roofed in land, water, and place. It is human-centered and designed
for everyday accessibility, inclusivity, and belonging. It is flexible, adaptable, and responsive.
It seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor experiences. It embeds sustainability and stewardship,
and it facilitates learning through actively doing and participating,
not simply sort of passive observation.
We've also established what we think are some helpful institutional goals that sort of
consider, in this case, particularly the library's own institutional framework,
as well as the civic strategies that are happening in the city of Toronto, and the city of Hamilton,
pardon me. So, the institutional goals being that this place will operate as a vibrant
year-round community hub. It will strengthen and integrate indigenous partnership and
self-governance to advance truth and reconciliation. It will embed accessibility
and inclusivity to support community well-being and belonging. It will activate the waterfront
all the year-round to become an anchoring cultural destination, and it will expand
the library and cultural service reach within Hamilton.
Similarly, there are some interpretive goals. These largely reflect some of the things I've
already been saying, but to center indigenous truth, voices, and presence, to understand
connections between land, water, and history, to help visitors contextualize Hamilton's layered
identity and to learn through multiple senses and mediums. And again, these are really what we
want visitors to learn and take away with them from a visit to this new redeveloped space.
The interpretive focus is similarly tied to the interpretive goals and also to the visitor
experience goals, and essentially what we heard is that the vision, the preliminary vision,
established by the library and by the indigenous relations division to emphasize indigenous
history and culture. This was strongly supported throughout the engagement, so it's really become
the root, the core of the interpretive focus, that this place will celebrate Hamilton's
history and culture and emphasize the long-standing presence of indigenous peoples
in and around Hamilton, including both rights holders and urban indigenous voices,
and it will convey their various knowledge systems and histories and culture alongside
broader Hamilton history.
The visitor experience goals are outcomes of what we want visitors to have from their time at this
site, so not necessarily the learning component of an interpretive goal, but rather what we
want them to feel or have experienced when they leave. So we want them to feel welcomed, safe,
and like they belong here. We want them to feel like they can discover and learn through exploration
and active participation. We want them to gather, connect, and build relationships. We want them
to return regularly as part of everyday life, to engage with the waterfront as part of the
experience, so not just passively, and we want to inspire curiosity, reflection, and continued
learning in them. We've also thought about the sort of type, the types of visitors that you'll
be serving, and there are indeed quite a number. And we sort of, we have kept this list as is
because we heard about these different groups in different, through different lenses of the
engagement. So obviously one of your core groups, your primary users or audiences is going to be
your library users because you'll have, the library will be the anchor of the site. But also
thinking about general, more generally Hamilton residents, your urban Indigenous community members
because we repeatedly heard that there isn't really a kind of dedicated space for urban
Indigenous voices or members to gather publicly. Thinking about multi-generational
families, youth and young adults, and newcomers to Hamilton.
And these are the audiences who we're really thinking about. These are the core audiences
that we're thinking about when we think about the types of programs that you may want to implement,
the functionality of the spaces. So in Sean's work with the facility planning,
the components that are really central to this site are being driven by these audiences,
these primary audiences. The secondary audiences are other groups that may come and use the site,
but we're not necessarily designing programs and functionality of spaces to meet their needs
first and foremost. So these secondary audiences might be educators and students,
they may be cultural tourists who are sort of passing through or seeking some local context,
and they might be community organizations and or other partner groups.
So throughout the building, throughout the site, there's a number of different visitor
experience techniques that you may be able to employ to communicate the interpretive goals,
the interpretive concept, and to also help provide the type of experience that we want
visitors to have when they're here. I've only highlighted a few in today's presentation,
so there is a full list here. There's sort of a longer list in the report.
The ones in blue are the ones that I'm just going to briefly highlight.
So thinking in terms of, particularly with the Indigenous focus, the idea of storytelling and
oral histories, because we know that those are really important modes of communication
for First Nations, for Indigenous people to share their history and continue their traditions.
Thank you about multiple perspectives, and this is sort of inherent in the idea that we're
not just telling broader Hamilton history, we're not just telling Indigenous history,
we're actually telling both of those stories alongside each other with space to understand
how they coexist, how they overlap and where they don't, or where they diverge perhaps.
Thinking about collaboration and co-creation, so how can you work with potentially community-led
exhibition proposals where your community are actually helping to create this space,
and this could be through partnerships with other institutions, or it could be community groups.
Thinking about dispersed discovery environments, so the idea that you don't just walk into a
single room to see, you know, a mini-exhibition, but rather that there are these interpretive
and discoverable moments embedded throughout the site, whether they're small vitrines,
public artwork, there's a lot of different ways to do this, to have visitors feel engaged
throughout the building, not just in one specific space.
Thinking about the outdoors, because we know how excited a lot of people are about the possibility
of this space in connection to Waterfront, so thinking about the green space and just connectivity
in general, the possibility for multilingual outdoor interpretive signage. This is an example
that I really love, it's at Trillium Park, which is sort of very close to me in Toronto,
and they had this project where all of the plantings, all of the different vegetation, the trees at
Trillium Park are identified by markers that have the name, the sort of common English name,
as well as a name in a relevant Indigenous language, so most of them are in Anishinaabek,
and a little history, there's actually a web component that you can go on and see all
of these markers and learn about the cultural significance to the Anishinaabek peoples about each
species that's planted. As well, this idea of multiple and diversified programming, so
cooking classes, in this case, there's a dance presentation from the One Escape and Heritage
Center, so bringing in that Indigenous element, highlighting also that any interpretive component,
any programming component, anything that is about Indigenous peoples needs to be done with
Indigenous peoples, so that means that there needs to be ongoing collaboration,
ongoing partnership to ensure that they are the ones who have the autonomy over how their
story is being told throughout all stages. And ending this technique section now with
the idea of an outdoor gathering circle, so we definitely heard that there is the desire
for a purpose-built gathering space, whether that is indoors or outdoors, but we've also heard that
the significance, of course, for water and land is very great for Indigenous peoples.
So this would give them the opportunity to have maybe a space for fire, if not physical access,
we know that that's very challenging at the location, but at least visual access
for that more spiritual connection with the water. And just again, acknowledging that
anything like this, any component related to Indigenous culture and history presence,
needs to be through ongoing engagement with their knowledge keepers, their elders,
to ensure it's authentic and done correctly and sensitively.
So thinking about the overall journey of a visitor at this site, there's sort of five key
stages, if you like. So one is the first being the arrival, there's the orientation components,
so getting situated, there's exploring the core components, and then departing and hopefully
returning. So that arrival might be planned or it might be spontaneous because we know that there
is broader waterfront development as well as the connectivity of trails, orientation coming
into the space, understanding where you are, what is or is not available there, exploring those
various components. So in the building itself would be the cultural heritage components, the
library, the cafe, the amenities, the Indigenous gathering space, but also recognizing that there's
this sort of broader peer-eat context. So they might also be exploring partner programs
that are more affiliated with someone else in Peer-Eat or West Harbour like the Haida,
or they might be going to the center's own outdoor spaces, and then again leaving and
ultimately we would like to think returning and making this a regular habit.
So the core components, I'll let you just jump to the next to this visual, the core components,
there were five that were originally presented to us and we've actually really kept those
five, so the library, the cultural heritage spaces, the visitor amenities, the cafe and the Indigenous
gathering space, but the emphasis on outdoor gathering area and the connection to water was
so significant throughout all streams of engagement that we really felt that outdoor
gathering areas needed to be added as another core component. So that's really the only
sort of substantial change we've made if you like is really just to add that outdoor
aspect as a core component to ensure that its significance is not overlooked.
The library will continue to offer branch library services, you know,
robust hours, types of gathering spaces for solo or meeting or community gathering.
Gathering, interpretive content and programs, facilitating access to social services to partnership.
All of the things that you already do will continue to be offered here in tailored as
needed to best suit that neighbourhood. The Indigenous gathering space, again, this will
be, we really believe, this needs to be led and heavily designed and inspired by in consultation
with appropriate Indigenous leaders, but there will be opportunities for gathering, you know,
adaptable environments, quiet spaces, perhaps a private space for an elder in residence to
help steward the space and what it is and what it means, as long as well as cultural events
as they deem appropriate. Heritage-based experiences, so these could be small-scale rotating displays
through that dispersed discovery technique that I mentioned. They could be audio-based
storytelling, digital installations, dedicated exhibition spaces, sort of movable or temporary,
we've called them storytelling stations, but almost like a kit of parts that could pop up
around the building or be moved or removed as needed. And that modularity allows for
updateability year-round without having to do, let's say, an exhibition space update.
A cafe or restaurant that is highly accessible, given the interpretive concept and focus of
this site, we think it would be something really interesting to highlight Indigenous ingredients
or recipes that change with the season. This could also be through a partnership with an
Indigenous vendor perhaps, providing a comfortable environment and leveraging the scenic waterfront
views, because we know that that is something that people will be coming here for.
Visitor amenities, so things like public washrooms, a kitchen or food support infrastructure,
perhaps that could also facilitate teaching programs. There seemed to be quite an interest in
cooking or learning about cooking in Indigenous foodways through the engagement.
Amenities that are comfortable, inviting, there should be clear wayfinding and thresholds
and design for physical accessibility as well.
The outdoor learning and gathering areas, again, we think these should be something that can,
they're suitable for ceremony, for Indigenous ceremony, perhaps featuring Indigenous plants,
how they're grown, how they're used, spaces for seasonal programming and performances,
opportunities to engage with water as a teaching and a relational element,
an overall outdoor interpretation that helps to align with the broader visitor experience
goals and interpretive concepts that I outlined earlier.
While water access to water is not necessarily possible at this site due to the elevation,
there are other parts of West Harbour that are being developed that may have better access
to water, such as Makasa Bay. There is still opportunity and it's actually something
that's already sort of being discussed preliminarily, but ways to integrate water into the
outdoors. So elements like small ponds or water fountains, things like that, that help to bring
an element of water up to visitors. We've identified some sort of general operational
considerations and some of these will begin to be exploited a little bit more particularly
through in the the broader site plan that Sean can talk about and the operations plan,
which Dev will be leading. But some of the operational considerations are, you know,
there will need to be staff to develop the interpretive content and exhibits and programs,
staff to develop those programs, but also to run the programs as well as the day-to-day
library function, staffing and operations of the Indigenous faces. And we know that
you're very interested in understanding the governance piece and that is something
that Dev will be exploring in his operations plan, in particular around the governance
sort of model or partnership model that could happen with the Indigenous spaces and how other
libraries in Canada have navigated that and what their system has been. Thinking about
access to the site, so through parking for day and night time users, but also school groups
or buses, bike racks, EB charging, traffic and wayfinding, broader transit access.
We know that that's going to be a site, a sort of focus for the future site is the public transit
piece. They need for these different components, so for example the library, the cafe, a need to
just gathering space, the need for these different components to operate independently of each other.
So if one is closed, the others can still operate. While the green spaces are not within our scope of
sort of a hard and fast programming or design necessarily, but we are thinking about the
opportunities of what those green spaces can be, particularly how you can leverage those
through partnership. We're also thinking about the transference of noise, both inside, between
spaces, but also between the indoors and outdoors. The ongoing relationship with Parks Canada and the
broader West Harbour redevelopment, we know that these have some impacts on the work that or will
have some sort of context and informing on the work that we're doing. And then also thinking
about outdoor washrooms or making indoor washrooms that are directly accessible from the outside
because we know that this is going to become sort of a hub for activity.
So just jumping into my last section and then I'll pass it over to Sean. So thinking about
programs and partnerships, we know that there's a lot of interest in this site and that interpretive
programming options need to address a wide range of audiences. They also need to give different
levels of flexibility or they are scheduled ahead of time and so on. And these various
range of educational, public or community programs, cultural and potentially also recreational programs.
Thinking about where these activities, these various programs can happen,
there are different levels that can happen in different places and there's the onsite component
which is onsite actually at the centre at the building. But we're also thinking about
onsite within Pure 8, within the waterfront through those different partnerships that
may be able to be formed. Offsite beyond Pure 8, so for example with other Hamilton cultural
institutions and museums and organisations and then of course virtual, so online app-based mobile
apps etc. We sort of broken these down also further into four categories of programs and
events and essentially it's a sort of mix and match of are they registered or are they not
registered in advance and are they paid or are they not paid in advance. And we just want to stress
or sort of emphasise as well, we know that the library won't charge for programs. However there
may be partnerships again, different partnerships where there may be programs that are sort of
like an enhanced level of visitor experience that the partner may charge a fee for. Things
like the cafe will also be a source of revenue generation, bigger ticketed events
perhaps outside in the summer. So there's really a mix and match that can be made here
and there are different pros and cons to each. The flexibility of drop-in versus the
maybe not having a sense of how many people are going to show up. So with the sense of
a registered event you have a better sense of what to expect. Your staff can prepare accordingly
or the facilitators that are delivering through a partner can prepare accordingly
bigger unregistered events. You might not know how many people are coming. You might be
in for a bit of a surprise. So there's different pros and cons to consider with each of these.
And then there's different types of programs as well. So there's public and community programs.
So these might be artists in residence programs and elder in residence as I mentioned.
Community conservation initiatives, wellness programming, musical performances, a variety.
Public and community events. So these might be things like craft and holiday markets,
outdoor film screenings. We know there's a lot of interest in the outdoor space.
Educational programs, maybe talks, panels, facilitating or sort of welcoming
summer or March break visits by partner affiliates. Land, water and ecology walks.
And then there's things like temporary exhibitions which would be, you know,
perhaps indigenous as well as non-indigenous local histories and culture
exhibition spaces, rotating art exhibitions, public art installations.
Really, there's such a wide variety here. And this is presented as well. Maybe I should
just say this as sort of a menu of options so that as you get further along, you have a better
sense of what may or may not work, the types of partnerships you can form,
which partners are able to help deliver which activities to make sure that you are also
developing something that's sustainable for all of you. And then again, just noting that there
are opportunities for things like waterfront and outdoor programming, holidays and cultural
observances. In particular, we know that there's a number of indigenous days or sort of
dates that are being recognized for indigenous significance. And as mentioned through the
engagement, it feels that there's not really a dedicated space for these types of gatherings
to happen. And then of course, things more along the lines of rentals that could be a source of
revenue generation. So sort of just wrapping up on the partnerships piece. You know, partnerships
can serve many different components. They can deepen research. They can help to increase the
use because you're bringing the audiences of your partners. They can leverage the shared
resources to reduce the level of work on strain on the library staff that are doing their own work,
help to build community awareness and support, and overall just help to increase visitor
attendance and sustain that visitor ship, which is really going to be key to the site success.
Finally, a note on indigenous partnerships. And this is something that we have sort of set
throughout, but really indigenous partnerships are relationship first. They cannot be treated as
sort of one-time transactional moments. They need to be genuine relationships that are cultivated
to have, you know, it requires dedicated staff time, sustained investment, but it really helps to
create that long-term commitment that will ground the site in an authentic indigenous
position. So I'm just going to blow through these slides briefly because I want to make sure
that Sean has time to present, but just to say that we have already identified a number of potential
partners, essentially all of the partners that we heard as being possibilities through all of our
streams of engagement. So there's a number of partners that would be First Nations and
Indigenous-led organizations, environmental and natural heritage partners in tourism and economic
development, partners with cultural institutions, community and social services, and then other
programming and exhibition partnerships as well. So I'm going to take a moment and pause,
and I'm going to pass it over to Sean, who will walk you through the preliminary facility planning
work. Thanks, Alex. I appreciate that. Hi, everyone. Nice to see everybody. I just wanted,
we're going to take a few minutes and talk about the preliminary facility planning. And so when
we talk about facility planning, what we're talking about here is understanding it really is two larger
components. One is understanding the space needs. So this is really understanding the types of rooms,
the types of spaces that will be in the library and cultural building and their size. And then the
second part really is the concept design. Now we're not talking about concept design yet,
although we are working with the architectural team to advance that. But for this moment,
we're going to talk about just preliminary facility planning and some of our early
assumptions regarding the types of spaces and the plans. Okay, so we just want to start
as part of the development of the program, we need to establish a set of assumptions
so that we know what is the framework around what we are working toward. Next slide.
So really, you know, we don't want to start or we want to start really at a kind of a high
level. And we want to say to ourselves, we want to reframe this library, you know,
this is not just a library branch. We know that it has a much larger role. It's a much,
it's a new civic typology that we're looking to develop in this location. So really,
this is more than just a library branch. As you can see, it's a civic platform
for learning, making, cultural exchange. It is a multifunctional anchor where space is
shaped by activity and not stacks. So it's really sort of taking that library function,
which is central to the program, but it's not just singular. It's part of a wider
collection of activities that includes exhibition, gathering, creative production,
and social spaces into one facility. So really, we're calling this a new civic
typology and exploring how that can be, how that can be developed in this location.
That's okay. Go to the next slide. So as part of the work, we've developed a set of principles
for larger, higher first principles that we want to be able to work toward and test
the program against. So you can see we have, we've come up with five of them. So clearly,
it's about activity-led. So space here is organized around use, not just necessarily
fixed typologies, fixed stacks, but really more flexible and activity-based.
It's distributed. So again, we're not talking about an area for stacks, an area for this,
an area for that. It's really about mixing and blending functions throughout the entire
building to create zones of activity. Flexibility, of course, is a critical
and key component of long-term sustainability. So we want to make sure that spaces are
flexible and adaptable and can achieve and support multiple functions and activities.
There's obviously a library component, but there's a cultural core as well. So as Alex
has talked about, Indigenous and cultural programming are embedded in the program. It's
not ancillary or secondary. It's blended and mixed with the other library functions.
And as I said, really something that's part of a larger ecosystem. So this is really
an ecosystem of civic and cultural and library-based functions. So these are the
first principles. Next slide. So I'm just going to talk. We've outlined a number of
our planning assumptions. I'm not going to go through these in great detail, but you can see,
again, we're starting to evolve some of those principles, some of those new typology
thoughts into a set of assumptions. And so as the first one, it prioritizes
typology, prioritizes shared use, flexibility, and program and activity.
Rather than just sort of traditional collection dominant library spaces. So again, it's not just
about stacks. It's about a variety of different uses and activities that could happen. Equally,
as we think about that, the service model is changing. And we're looking at things like it's
now more a platform for access and learning and community engagement. So, you know, there's a
reduced reliance on, you know, kind of reference desks and traditional fixed service points.
We're now looking at opportunities for mobile and distributed access. And it's really more on
informal participatory and drop-in patterns. So, when we get to the architectural plans later
in subsequent stages, you can start to see how some of these ideas are being implemented.
Next slide. Just, I'm like this is a lot of detail. I'm not going to go into this one,
but just so you understand, one of the drivers we were told is the collection. The size of the
collection is around 12 to 15,000 items. So, we've used some rules of thumb math
to try and understand what that is from a space implication. And again, this is just simply
showing that we've done our due diligence to understand how much space we need in the building
to accommodate the collections as well as all the other items. Next slide.
Again, I think we've talked about this, but this idea of a programming priority shift.
You know, it's not collection dominant, but it's around flexible spaces, creative
production and maker spaces, exhibition, interpretive programming, social interaction.
And really, it's about this idea of a third place. You've probably heard about this
homework, and then there's the social third place. So, we want the library and this building to have
a much greater civic relevance rather than just singular use. And as Alex has talked about,
you know, multiple slides, the integration with indigenous and cultural programming is
fully integrated in the design, in the plan, in the program. It is not an
cellular or secondary thought. It is very much part of the core function of this building.
Next slide. Flexibility. I've talked about this. Obviously, flexibility is a key for
long-term sustainability, long-term program agility and being nimble in terms of
supporting other programs as needs and preferences change. So, we want to build and make sure
spaces can support that flexibility. And the last one, and actually in hindsight on
seeing this, it probably should have been the first thing I led with. But what we're
talking about here is it's a medium-scale branch. It's around 10,000 square feet of core library.
And that is, you know, the core library functions obviously are the stacks, the sorting,
the like stacks and sorting, et cetera. But also, what we're talking about is other
cultural components. So, it's not traditional. And I'm going to skip the next three bullets
here, but to lead you to the next slide. So, we're talking about something that's
around 10,000. So, what does that mean? I mean, all of these are kind of the
assumptions, but we have to now look at as we talk about the space program. So, the
space program, just again for information, it's an itemized list of the rooms and
the spaces that are required to support the functions of this building.
When we are dealing with existing building, we need to look at a number of different
scenarios. So, just for information, the existing building is about 14,500 square feet
of usable interior area. But as we start to look at the program and all of the
spaces and functions required, not only for core library functions, but to help
really achieve that vision of the visitor experience plan and the other components,
we wanted to look at how much space do we need to achieve all that. We know we have
an existing building of a fixed size, but we wanted to develop first, actually,
what I'm really trying to say is we can develop three options. And the first
option we looked at, we called full vision. And this is, what do we need to
accommodate adequately and successfully the program functions and visitor
experience? So, the full vision option, which includes, and I'll talk about this in
effect, Parks offices, Parks Canada offices, is about 22,000 square feet. So,
it does require a small building expansion based on the existing building that's
there. We also looked at two other options. We recognize that there is an
existing building. We recognize there may be capital constraints or other
constraints that limit potential expansion. So, we wanted to test the
options to say, what if we took the vision and the program and we included it
and made it fit within the existing building footprint? So, that is what we
call these two options, reduced vision. Now, here's where Parks comes in. We
know that in the existing building, there are spaces for Parks Canada offices
and we are under the assumption, or at least rather, we're looking into
whether this building needs to accommodate those Parks Canada offices
or not. We're still working to confirm that, but since we don't know that yet,
we've looked at two options. One that is a reduced vision that fits in the
building that excludes Parks Canada offices and one option that
includes Parks. So, we want to be able to compare these two options together.
And what that really means is at the end of the day is in one option,
if you exclude Parks Canada offices, you have more space that you can
dedicate toward library and cultural programming. If you need to include the
Parks offices within the building, you have less space.
So, we're making an assumption right now of about 2,000 square feet
for Parks Canada offices, which is about what they have now,
and we'll be confirming that as the process moves along, but we are
at least acknowledging that condition that we may have to accommodate
Parks offices going forward. So, we've developed three options,
looking at the space, and we're working with the architects now
to map that out into advance the design to see how that fits within the
existing building on the existing site and what a small expansion might
look like. Next slide. And the last slide I have, and I did
move through this quickly because I'm conscious of time, just again to
talk about what the program is. It's an itemized list of the rooms
and spaces, but we do need to organize it. We want to keep track of the
spaces that we have, and so we've organized the program
into, and when we do share that later on down the line, the program is
organized into sort of four primary categories,
and we call them, the first one is core library functions.
So, these are primary library spaces. So, this is collections, reading,
and essential services like sorting and admin spaces.
We've also categorized spaces around creative learning and production.
So, maker spaces, classrooms, instruction rooms,
or creative production rooms, things like that, like artists and residents or
writer and residents, that would fall into this category.
Civic, cultural, and indigenous. So, these are the spaces that Alice has talked
about in part in her visitor experience plan. So, exhibition and display,
indigenous gathering, the food service and cafe that we've talked about,
and then of course there's the co-located institutional parks counter
offices. So, these are the four primary categories of space that we're
looking at when we program the building, but I want to be very clear,
again, when you see the program in our next meeting or whenever,
it's not an expression of architectural design. It does not imply
that there are four zones in the building. It's simply an organizing tool
in the program so we can understand how spaces are relating to each other and
make sure we're not losing track of key spaces as we move along,
and it allows us to sort these spaces into the program.
I think that's my last slide, Alex. So, do I have another one or that might be it?
And that's, well, I'll hand it off to you for next steps.
That sounds good. Thanks, Sean. So, I know we've blown through and this is
always a lot of information, but thank you for, you know, following along.
So, our sort of immediate next steps are as Sean has mentioned, we'll continue
at sort of facility planning work. He's also begun working with the architect,
so that'll be sort of advancing the schematic design and capital cost
estimates as well. And those two streams of work will sort of be working in
parallel. And that will be, we've also become the
operations, attendance and revenue and expense projections at work, so that's
the work that's being led by Dove. And at the end of this, all of that
and all of the engagement summary and the visitor experience strategy,
everything will be consolidated into one sort of draft overall plan, which will
be reviewed and then finalized into the final plan.
So, Cindy, I will perhaps turn it over to you. I can't, because I'm sharing
screen things are hidden, but I'll turn it back to you to take as much as
any questions in the room.
Thank you very much. It is quite informative and very insightful.
And I open it up to the board members for questions.
Dina.
Like winning the lottery, the lights came on the very first time.
Thank you so much for this. I know that exciting is currently
incredibly overused, but I can't think of another
descriptor. This is extremely exciting, so thank you very much for this.
I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but I just wanted to get your
thoughts on a couple of things sort of going forward. I know that there's a
lot here that speaks to structure and
principles and goals and then and thank you as well for sort of then
focusing on the actual sort of possible physical considerations.
One of the things that really struck me was the emphasis on
establishing and maintaining a long-term trust-based
relationship with our Indigenous partners.
And it's my sort of general understanding that that's certainly been sort of part of
the process all the way along. I'm wondering what your thoughts are
about what kinds of mechanisms or approaches, how is that maintained? I mean
the completion if you will of the project is one thing,
but long-term relationships obviously contemplate
something that's sort of almost in perpetuity.
So I just sort of wondered if you turned your minds to those
kinds of considerations. For sure and I'm happy to speak to that a little bit
and just to sort of emphasize as well this is
something that Dev will be getting into a little bit more when he starts to do.
He'll essentially be doing sort of informational interviews with staff at
some of the comparable sites that we identified in our comparables analysis.
So the Edmonton Public Library, the Halifax Central Libraries,
where they have those dedicated sort of First Nations gathering spaces or
Indigenous gathering spaces where they have figured out what that
structure looks like. What I can say is
it's really about this piece about the long-term relationship management
is very much there, you know it's making sure their resource is dedicated
to it. So there may need to be staff
positions who are helping to do that, whose role is to help
manage and steer that relationship. And the other big piece as well is
it's something that cannot be determined
without being in conversation with those partners.
And that in some ways is one of the it's why even I hesitate to say
you know to a great extent what that might look like because I am not one of
those partners. What I've learned more than anything
is to have those types of relationships in a genuine
meaningful way, sustained way that is authentic and caring,
needs to be developed in discussion, in collaboration with the partners that
you're looking to engage. So whether that's the First Nations,
whether that is Indigenous community organizations,
they need to have a say in how they want to be involved and then it'll
be a matter of determining what is possible,
what's the consensus that you can reach between you.
But that's something that Del will be looking at because there are
institutions that have done that successfully. There are models for that.
So he's going to be looking at how other institutions, other library systems
have done it and then we'll be giving you some
ideas about what that might look like for you.
And I think again the sort of one caveat remains
nothing about them without them is the motto that I always go to.
So I hope that provides a little bit of clarity.
Yeah, it does, thank you. And it also sort of focuses on what's still
to come and clearly you've turned your minds to all of that going forward as well.
I'm just really conscious that maintaining a relationship is not just sort of an episode,
it contemplates check in some kind of devices to sort of ensure
that it's being maintained and you're addressing concerns and the like on an
ongoing basis. So it sounds like that's on the table
and there will be more to come. So thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Thank you.
This was amazing and it is very exciting. There was a couple of things that stood out
and I mentioned one during your presentation and it was pretty adorable, the date night,
it's small, but having worked in a library for a very long time, I've never considered it
to be a hot date night place. So I really look forward to what you come up with.
But I think what you're describing here is so much more than what we sort of traditionally
see as a library. So in that way it is very exciting.
I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about under your planning assumption
slide, section two where it says library role and service model.
I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about that. I know you alluded to the fact that
that standard reference desk is not as popular anymore and having more fluid models of
community being more engaged and users being more proactive when they're asking questions
and providing a slightly more welcoming environment than what we see in a traditional library.
Can you talk a little bit about your experience in that kind of design and what you're envisioning?
I can touch on that a little bit. I wish David probably would see our architect
because he's really talking about how to enact what you're talking about in physical terms.
But I think what this is doing too is it's really starting to set the stage for really pushing
that envelope beyond the traditional model where you have the centralized reception desk where
everybody checks in and checks in their book and you talk to a librarian and you get your book
from the desk. So it's really about trying to come up with a way to rethink that model
so that you know that you start to decentralize functions and you start to decentralize activities
and in doing so you also allow functions to sort of blend and mix and so you could have
you could still have a check-in desk or a checkout desk but you could also do it remotely.
You could do it via kiosk or something like that.
So, when you start to think in those terms, it starts to inform architecturally, too, because
now all of a sudden the desk might, and I'm speaking for the design team, so I, you know,
I'm trying to speak at a turn, but I also am an architect, so I can talk a little bit about it.
But, you know, when you have those kind of assumptions, it has a sort of a ripple effect,
because the desk, and I just keep focusing on the desk, because it's a nice sort of,
I think, a physical feature we're all aware of. But, you know, in those terms,
the desk can become smaller. It doesn't need to have as much real estate. It might be at a
different location in the building. So, it starts to, it can change its form. It can
change its location. And it can change the nature of your experience. You know, if you want to come in
and just, if you know, if you know exactly what you want, exactly where it is,
you can come in and you can get it, you can find it, and you can leave very quickly.
If you want to have more engagement, if you want to have more involvement,
you know, it allows you that opportunity. So, that's, I think, really what it's about.
It's really more about kind of changing the focus away from stacks and desk to blending and mixing.
And so, you know, we started to work with the architects and started to look at some of the
plans. And, you know, some of the options they're coming up with are really intriguing,
because now you start to see, you know, areas where books are stored adjacent to
exhibit spaces, where you start to see this kind of locating, co-locating of,
let's say, like a work area and an artist-in-residence pod or a recording pod.
So, again, it's sort of tearing down those sort of pre or early ideas of kind of fixed boundaries
and trying to sort of change that and blow it all apart and bring it all back together in a whole
new way. For sure. And if I, that's, I think that's, but you said that so well, Sean, and if I can,
because I know there's one instance that we've already just been looking at where I'm like,
oh, this already feels like so not like I'm walking into a library and I'm going to be
faced with a reception desk, right? But maybe you walk in and the first thing you
see is some sort of, you know, Indigenous art mural on the wall or there's Indigenous language
interpretation on the wall about what it means to be at this place in this moment, right? So,
it's also like this idea of how we interpret, or sorry, how we integrate these different components,
right? So as Sean said, it's not, this is the reception area, this is the library,
this is the gallery, but rather all of these things are sort of broken down and smashed
together to create this one sort of new type of space where you might be coming to the library,
but you might also just be coming because you think it's a nice space to hang out
and look at the water or grab a coffee. So how those components are sort of melded is
definitely something that I think our team is very excited about and already thinking about.
Actually, you just triggered another thought just to build on that. You know, well,
one of the things we didn't talk about is what two things, you know, to build on this idea
of rethinking space and function, it's this idea that, you know, just looking at the notion of what
is a traditional corridor and how, what is the circulation and how do you connect spaces
and what is the function? And so, you know, a corridor could be just a way to get from
one space to the other, but if it becomes wider and it becomes more designed and it becomes
more animated, all of a sudden it becomes a program space. So it could be, as you said,
it could have Indigenous content, signage, storytelling, etc., you know, as part of
the experience of that, of what is normally utilitarian space. And the other thing is just
to go back to the comment of date night, you know, one of the things I forgot to mention,
we didn't put in here actually with this notion of exterior space as well. And so,
you know, we talked a lot about the interior of the building, but we're not ignoring the exterior.
So we know we have a fantastic site. We know we're on the water's edge.
So, you know, I mean, to be great, you've got a cafe, we're thinking about outdoor spaces,
outdoor seating areas, Indigenous gathering areas, or maybe you're going to cover
pavilion of some kind, you know, water's edge reading spots. So,
trying to promote that activation on the exterior. And, you know, it might, you know,
that might be a nice place to go have a date night. You go get a coffee and you sip
by the water on a summer's night, you know. So that, again, is sort of thinking about
how do you redefine what this model is. And I think part of the, part of the
advantage is the actual location. Absolutely. Not just the philosophical approach to
the building, of course, but the idea, but the location is really driving a lot of these
decisions, which is wonderful. So it's driving the exterior space. It's driving the location
of programs in the building to take advantage of relationships with what's on the outside.
So there's certainly opportunities and it's really informing a lot of the thinking
around the planning, early planning of this building.
Thank you. I think the word of the day is exciting.
Yeah.
And so just a bit of a follow, I mean, as I'm listening to you, part of what I'm wondering
about too, and of course you would have lots of experience with this,
there will still be, and part of that whole visitor experience, there will still be those
for whom going into the library means I walk in, where's the desk?
And so I'm just, so this is going to require some real recalibration for visitors because it won't be
like anything that they've really typically seen or might expect to see. So I'm just sort of
wondering how you, how you help them regain their equilibrium and how we sort of ensure
that we're keeping an eye on providing that kind of visitor experience without people feeling,
I don't know, disoriented, confused, and sort of that that's just going to be part of that
initial settling in to a very new kind of experience. I'm just sort of curious about
your experience and about your thoughts in that regard.
Well, I think that's a very good point. I mean, I think we've talked a lot,
I think recalibrating is a great word by the way, but I think at the same time you don't,
we can't lose sight of the sort of the fundamental, we've called it core library
activities. There's the fundamental activities. There is, whether the desk is big or small
or round or square, there still needs to be certain basic functions. And I think
there's a kind of assumed logic to the way, to the way, the sequence of the way the building
operates. And what I'm talking about is I'm not, I'm not suggesting that all of a sudden the
desk is this tiny little thing way in the back corner that nobody can find. At the end of
the day, there's a certain fundamental logic about the way the building needs to operate.
So I think that those things will still be embedded in the kind of the design.
You know, and again, you come in and as Alex said, maybe you're confronted with some exhibit
content or whatever, but fundamentally, you know, the sequence will need to be preserved
about the way the library functions. And that is both tied to library functionality,
but also visit our expectations, you know, and I think these also can be achieved
through signage, you know, through wayfinding techniques and key placement of items like the
desk or like, you know, classrooms and things like that. So I think, I think that
not to kick it down the field to say the architects will solve it, but it is in a
lot of ways a design, it's a design strategy as well, so that it recognizes the fundamental
requirements, but at the same time trying to rethink how other spaces are laid out,
how they relate to each other so that it's still fundamentally operational,
but exciting and new and engaging at the same time.
Thank you, Alexander. Thank you, Sean. You and your team have done a lot of good work here.
We need clear foundational statements surrounding goals and values and I think we are
on that path and we're seeing it in increasing detail and focus because we are all excited
about this project. I think this is our most important project and we need to be sure of our
footing to make sure that we do things right just to recognize the full partnerships of everyone
involved. Alexander used the phrase point of convergence and that's what I latched on to,
that we are talking about convergence in several forms, geographical, social, educational,
cultural, personal, it goes on and we need to go forward in that spirit of
needing or recognizing that we need to come together not just at this one moment, but for
the pathway ahead. Speaking for myself, the last meeting we had on site, we already saw some of
that convergence in action and that was very inspiring and I want to thank you for this
report. You're very welcome. Thank you for having us and allowing us to present this. We're
also equally excited and we look forward to continue working with you.
All right, moving on to the next one. Alex, do we leave the meeting now? Is that the
poor caller? I was just going to send you for direction there. You're always welcome to
state but you can head on out. Thank you so much. Have a great evening. Bye-bye.
Moving on to business arising, 7.1 West Harbor Temporary Library branch.
Do we need the motion for this? Yeah, verbal updates. So we turn to Chad, please.
Thank you very much, Chair. Good evening, everybody. I'm privileged to share a temporary branch
update to the team and as I was preparing my notes for this evening, I thought, well,
I'm not going to have a lot of talk about. As I began to document all of the updates that
have taken place since the last time we met, they are quite substantial and it's pretty
exciting. As board members, you have had the opportunity to get some insight into some of
the funding changes that have taken place and I'll get into that in a little bit.
I think most importantly, I want to recognize that there's been a lot of operational work
behind the scenes with our partners with the Indigenous Relations Division and our
management team as a whole, beginning to conceptualize what a day-to-day world looks
like as we operate in this beautiful branch and I think that that can't go understated
because the member experience and the visitor experience into that branch will set the tone,
I think, not only for this temporary model but for the long-term vision as well. So grateful for
our management team and all sorts of disciplines working with our partners and better understanding
how that day-to-day will work. We have, we received some great news today that our
construction will be commencing as of Monday and they have a goal and a target
for us. They have a target of completing that construction,
a target of completing that construction for July the 7th, that's our target. As long as we
don't run into any major unforeseen circumstances, our contracting partner working with the
City of Hamilton is confident that he's able to meet the selection process as it relates to
materials, furniture, components all correlate to that date so we could be realistic about meeting
expectations. We do know unforeseen things do happen and our fingers are crossed. I think the
first couple of days of demolition are going to be the days that I'm closely paying attention
to ensure that delays don't occur. I think once that uncovers itself, the installation
and progress on the construction should go pretty seamless. We have a, with the construction
planned to commence for the July 7th, we would expect a couple of weeks post-construction to
backfill our collections, to backfill some of the exhibition components and working with our
Indigenous relations partners around the art that is being looked at for installation around
the facility may take a couple of weeks, but we're still, all sites are set on a July opening.
Our operating hours, we've increased through the hard work of the management team and the
senior leadership team. We've worked our operating hours, I think at the last meeting
we were speaking to operating hours just under 40 hours. We're looking at a model now with 61
hours plus Sunday, which gives us a consistent approach across our other branches and that is
part and parcel with the work that the management team is doing to operationalize during all those
hours, develop programming schedules, talking with, again, with our partners around how we can
incorporate all the various activities that are going to take place during those operating
hours. The exact times are to be confirmed, but the team is working on them and they'll
be shared as soon as they're firmed up. Our furniture PO, so getting into some of the details,
our furniture PO went out a couple of weeks ago. The furniture PO was an important one
because it really was the longest lead time item that we were purchasing with the
incoming funds from the Hamilton Community Foundation as we learned at the board meeting
to officially be put into our minutes. We're utilizing some of our community
funds to be able to incorporate into the temporary branch for a total of about $355,000
and those funds specifically allow us, everybody knows that we were going into this branch,
using some used furniture, pulling together some equipment. We had a very small new
budget that would allow us to ensure that we stayed relevant and offered some core services.
With the addition of the $355,000 from those funds, we're able to install the core technology
brand new, the computers, our own HPL network, the Wi-Fi system, self-check. We're able to
really drive the shelving display units, exhibition infrastructure, carts, audio, video
components, and projector components. Focus on some minor security enhancements, ensuring that we have
the proper cameras and the halo sensors in our washrooms to provide a sense of safety for our
guests and our staff. The furniture piece, which I alluded to earlier, this was a great benefit
to us because it allowed us to fully furnish the building and taking into account that
should anything happen, because we know this is a temporary branch, the furniture could be relocated
and either used or housed as we built the permanent branch. The pieces that were picked out were
selected with our entire team, including our partnership with the Indigenous Relations Team
to ensure that they provided the proper feel and the proper
yeah, feels a good word, making sure that we hit the mark as it related to that. And we talked about
But in the board meeting on some of those components, like the central seating that will be in the
same colors as a traditional medicine wheel, which was pretty fantastic.
The furniture also allows us to turn some programming inward. With the addition of the budget, we
can now facilitate up to 75 guests within the main area of the branch for programming
events, and without too much heavy lifting by utilizing just moving components and staging
some chairs and reorientating that circular bench system that we've purchased.
As well, we've also been able to capture some interactive digital signage and equipment with
those community funds, which will be integral to ensuring that we're kept modern and up
to date, and we can deliver some of the shared programming options that are out there
now as it relates to digital experiences.
The Indigenous Relations Division is, and perhaps Luke or Travis, who are on the line
might be able to speak to this in a moment, but I know they're working with a local Indigenous
artist to really accent. As we talked about walking into that branch, one of the first
things that was presented to us was a proposal on having some Indigenous art as soon as
you walk in and making sure that's a large component throughout the entire facility,
and that work is underway, and we're trying to facilitate any needs as it relates to the
walls being prepped and ready, or the infrastructure being in the ceilings in order for things
to be hung. It should add a great sense of the Indigenous focus that we're trying
to drive into this exciting concept, and lastly, well, actually that was it. I've
already talked about the Hamilton Community Fund, so everything's on track, everyone's
working hard, everybody's working together. We're driving a project that we're definitely
thrilled to be this close to seeing some doors open in six to eight weeks, and I'm
happy to answer any questions or feedback.
Thank you Chad. That's a lot of great news. I'm very happy about the quick opening, anticipated
opening. I'm thrilled about the anticipated 61 hours of opening every week, especially
for Sunday opening, which is of great concern to so many of our members, and even more
so with what we can call a destination branch. Dana, do you have something to say?
Just really picking up on that, that whole focus of it really being a destination branch,
I think reminding ourselves of that really sort of informs a lot of the thinking around,
for example, the importance of Sunday openings. I go back to the earlier presentation where
it talked about scheduled or non-scheduled and the like, so when you have those
spontaneous, yeah, I think that's tremendous. I just wanted to thank Nick, I wanted to
pick up on that. If I could add one other component, and it's more an administrative
component, but an important one because it's a milestone as it relates to our
partnership with the city, the use agreement is in our hands and being
reviewed for execution. So it's that piece of paper that speaks to being an official,
shared space and our partners at the city have been extremely helpful and working
with a sense of urgency that we were really hoping for at the onset of this
project, and I'm grateful for the entire project and all of the partnerships
across the board. It's getting real, that's good. Any other questions or
comments? Seeing none, thank you Chad. Moving on to 7.1 Discovery Center
studies subcontractor update, and for this we turn to Cindy again. Thank you
Board Chair, and this was an update provided earlier and already was noted
during the presentation. So part of this contract, Lord Cultural Resources hired
a subcontractor to do schematic design work, which was Brooke McRoy. In April
they suddenly ceased operations, and as a result we had to pivot and look at
alternatives. So they recommended DP AI led by David Premi and his architectural
team. It is Hamilton based firm, they've done a lot of cultural and
library work in their career, and have recently done work with the art gallery
of Hamilton. The internal Hamilton public library team as well in working with
the Indigenous Relations Division has reviewed their credentials and
experience, and also noted that it does not impact budget, it does not
influence future work on the site. It is just limited to this study, and with us
making the decision we'll have little impact on the timeline. So we are moving
forward and already have seen some of the very early renderings carried out
by DP AI. Any questions?
We at the library have a long-standing working relationship with DP AI. They
did the renovations here at Central. I remember that being a positive working
relationship. So that's good news. They were able to step in. Any
other questions or comments? Seeing none, thank you. Correspondence none. Moving on
to new business 9.1 study engagement conclusion, and again we turn to
the next slide. Yes, it's just a memo that highlights what was presented earlier,
and the focus was the continuation and conclusion of the engagement work
that involved the Indigenous First Nations listening circles, and the
interested parties survey. I do want to highlight that though this part of the
engagement is done, the learning and listening phase, so it influences all
the other work that you've seen so far. The engagement is still ongoing with
the Hamilton Public Library team with the Indigenous Relations Division. So
that's always ongoing and never ends, and we also try to provide updates
throughout this process. That's really part of the engagement as well as
informed. So I just want to make a note of that, but for the purpose of
moving on to the other parts of the study, that concludes the work with that
and highlights the engagement work there. Any questions? Any questions for Cindy?
Do we need a motion for this? Yes. Do I have a first or yes? Dana, seconded by Lin.
All those in favor of receiving the study engagement conclusion, so carried.
Moving on to 9.2 visitor experience strategy. Do I have a mover for this?
Dana, seconded by Lin. And again, we turn to Cindy. Thank you. And it's a
highlight of what was presented earlier, and if there's any additional questions
happen to answer or pass on along to cultural resources. Again, there's a
fair bit of overlap from what was already presented at the last meeting, so I
think we're all good. All those, I'll call it to a vote. All those in favor
of receiving the visitor experience strategy. So carried. Private and
confidential. None. Date of next meeting, September 23rd, 2026. Anything else? Nothing?
So I need someone to move to adjourn. Hi, Lin. Hi, Dana. All right. Thank you,
everyone, for coming and presenting and listening. We need so much of this
engagement for this location. Thank you. Good night.