[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] you
[1:00] Good evening. I'm calling to order the West Harbour site vision committee meeting for Wednesday,
[1:10] May 27, 2026. The time is 5.30. First, we have our land acknowledgement. The city of Hamilton
[1:19] is situated upon the traditional territories of the Geary, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee,
[1:25] and Mississauga. This land is covered by the dish with one spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an
[1:31] agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe to share and care for the resources around the
[1:36] Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the between the lakes purchased 1792
[1:43] between the Crown and the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation. Today the city of Hamilton
[1:48] is home to many indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we recognize that we must do more
[1:54] to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as
[1:58] residents, neighbors, partners, and caretakers. Next up, we have the acceptance of the agenda.
[2:05] Do I have a mover for this, please? Dana, seconded by Lynn. All those in favor of the
[2:11] agenda? So carried. Item three, the minutes of the March 24, 2026 meeting. Do I have a mover
[2:20] for this, please? Lynn, seconded by Dana. I noticed a correction that needs to be made in that
[2:31] it is titled the Hamilton Public Library Board and that should probably be
[2:35] titled with the vision committee. Is there any other corrections or changes that need to be
[2:42] made to the minutes? Seeing none, call to order or call to vote to approve the minutes as adjusted.
[2:53] Carried. Decoration conflict. I need conflicts to be declared tonight.
[2:59] Seeing none, moving on to 5.1 presentation, the engagement process, the visitor experience
[3:05] strategy and preliminary facility plan by Doug Goldstein, Alexander Gooding, and Sean Stanwick.
[3:12] And we turn to you Cindy for this, please. Thank you Board Chair and I'll do an introduction.
[3:19] Sending apologies, Doug Goldstein will not be presenting tonight but what I have here is Alex
[3:26] Gooding and a new phase, Sean Stanwick. Alex Gooding is the project manager at Lord Cultural
[3:32] Resources helping to oversee the project and it's many components. And Sean Stanwick is
[3:39] the director of facilities planning at Lord Cultural Resources. So a lot of great work has been
[3:46] happening as part of the listening and learning phase one. That's part of the engagement work
[3:52] as well as some of the work after that that includes the visitor experience strategy
[3:58] and some preliminary work on the facilities plan. So it's moving along quite well
[4:04] and I'm going to hand it over to Alex and Sean to discuss. Thank you.
[4:11] Thanks so much, Cindy. I'll just go ahead and share my screen.
[4:18] You can just confirm that you can see my screen.
[4:26] Yes, we can see it. Thank you.
[4:28] Thank you. Okay, so hello. It's lovely to be here and presenting this second update to you all.
[4:36] It's been I think two months now since we last saw you and as Cindy mentioned,
[4:40] the project is progressing very well. So just a very quick overview will go through
[4:45] the final engagement activities that we've carried out since we last met with you.
[4:50] I will report you back on the visitor experience strategy and then Sean will take
[4:53] over to discuss the preliminary facility planning. So overall progress just sort of
[5:00] been updated where we are. So we have, you know, as before concluded our startup meetings,
[5:05] all background document review, all engagement activities are now complete. So when we last
[5:09] met, there were a few that were lingering. We've submitted the final engagement report.
[5:14] We've also submitted our final comparables, potential market and contextual analysis report.
[5:19] And what I'll be talking to you today is the draft visitor experience strategy and then
[5:23] Sean has mentioned we'll discuss the progress on preliminary facility planning.
[5:29] So just jumping right in. So as I mentioned, there were a few outstanding engagement activities
[5:35] since we last met with you, primarily the listening circles with the two First Nations
[5:41] and the interested parties online survey. These have now happened. So the interested
[5:46] parties survey was conducted in early and sort of mid-February followed then by the
[5:51] listening circles with Six Nations of the Grand River and first Mississauga of the Credit First
[5:57] Nation. So the interested parties survey was distributed through targeted emails, through
[6:05] library and Indigenous Relations Division staff to a total of 56 interested parties.
[6:12] Of those 56, 31 responded to the survey. So one representative from each interested
[6:19] party stakeholder group. And of the 31 that responded, three were Indigenous organizations.
[6:26] And some of these, so I've just got a note there as well, nine of the parties that
[6:31] responded to the survey also participated in the interested parties interviews,
[6:36] which we discussed and presented to you last time. And similar to the public survey,
[6:42] respondents who self-identified as Indigenous were then also shown us an additional set
[6:48] of questions pertaining to how they see the role of this, the redevelopment of the site
[6:54] and how it can best represent Indigenous presence and cultures.
[6:59] So when asked about the role of what this new centre could be, this green vision site,
[7:06] many said that it would be a space, they see it as a space for learning, community meeting
[7:10] space, showcasing local stories of talent, a cultural attraction for visitors and linking
[7:15] people to the waterfront. So a lot of common themes from what we heard the overall public
[7:21] engagement. They also saw it serving a wide range of audiences, including underserved or equity
[7:27] seeking communities, the broader city of Hamilton and families with children. A smaller percentage
[7:33] saw it potentially serving tourists and visitors, as well as artists and creative professionals
[7:39] and students and educators. The amenities that they sort of identified as the top priorities
[7:47] were spaces to learn about Indigenous and Hamilton history, Indigenous led programming spaces,
[7:55] social gathering spaces, a branch and a Hamilton public library branch offering core services
[8:01] and collections. And we're very happy to hear that there's a temporary pop-up
[8:05] branch opening soon, as well as exhibits about local Indigenous histories and cultures.
[8:10] So once again, everything really aligned with what we had heard from the other streams of
[8:14] engagement. The top priorities that they identified for the centre was to space, sorry, share
[8:23] Indigenous cultures, strengthening the cultural identity for Hamilton, presenting greater access
[8:29] to learning and creativity, community collaboration partnerships and economic benefits for Hamilton.
[8:36] And what they thought would make it a success in terms of the broader waterfront redevelopment
[8:44] was the site's potential to act as a cultural anchor for the district, to provide shared public
[8:49] amenities, be a year-round destination, so attracting year-round visitation,
[8:55] complementing existing or other planned areas so as to not duplicate efforts
[9:00] and supporting local employment and business growth. And the collaboration and partnership
[9:04] model was also a key finding, saying that they could see their organisation, their institution,
[9:12] participating through either programming partnerships, specific programs for children,
[9:17] youth and families that align with local Indigenous histories and providing mental
[9:23] health, wellness and or other social support services. So it sounds like there are already
[9:28] a number of parties who are interested in knowing how they could potentially support you and be
[9:31] involved. And what they thought would make this place a success, once again, is really
[9:39] aligned with everything that we had heard before, but this idea that it's a year-round hub,
[9:42] it's not seasonal, it's not just in the summer, this is a site that is activated and well
[9:47] used all throughout the year. It's a site that encourages community connection and helps build
[9:52] social cohesion. It has rich and diverse programming for many audiences. It's publicly
[9:58] accessible and it remains an inclusive space in all senses, so financially, physically,
[10:04] intellectually in all of those ways. The idea of strong partnerships and collaboration,
[10:10] helping to run the space, it's holistically co-created with Indigenous partners and this
[10:15] is something that we heard through all engagement, especially with Indigenous engagement,
[10:19] which I'll touch upon momentarily, that it's financially and operationally sustainable
[10:25] and that it's a place to safely belong and feel empowered and inspired.
[10:33] The Indigenous component or responses of those surveys, again factoring and there were only
[10:39] three responses, but they did also align with what we heard in the public, so supporting the idea
[10:44] for accessible design that supports all ages, quiet reflection spaces for grounding, warm natural
[10:51] materials, wayfinding, potentially using Indigenous languages or symbols, spaces arranged in circular
[10:58] or non-hierarchical layouts and pulling on other Indigenous design principles.
[11:04] They felt that this new centre, the space, could honour Indigenous people by allowing outdoor
[11:09] activities with access to the water, creating flexible and circular spaces for larger groups to
[11:14] gather, providing lots of natural light and incorporating Indigenous artwork and exhibitions
[11:19] to help showcase their cultures. They felt the visitors need to understand the importance
[11:25] of connection to land and water and of course the waterfront location of this site is something
[11:29] that we repeatedly hear as one of the most important and exciting elements of it,
[11:34] as well as the importance for truth-telling, so really teaching local communities about the
[11:39] histories of Indigenous peoples in different First Nations in and around Hamilton.
[11:46] And just having a quick, yes, of course that it can support Indigenous communities by helping
[11:54] people to navigate government services and also inviting and hosting Indigenous speakers for educational
[11:59] purposes. In February, as I mentioned, we had two separate listening circles,
[12:06] one with the Six Nations of the Grand River and one with Mississauga's of the Credit.
[12:12] Both were a lot more unstructured, I would say, than how we would go into an interview,
[12:19] and that's partly because we go into these really just wanting the First Nations to tell
[12:23] us what it is that they feel is most important. They have a chance to ask questions and the
[12:28] conversation is a lot more organic and really depends on where they would like to take that
[12:32] conversation. So in this case, we did discuss things like truth-telling, interpretation,
[12:38] the opportunity for learning, environmental stewardship, and the importance of outdoor
[12:42] spaces. And the Six Nations identified that this site is an important opportunity to help people
[12:51] understand and learn about the Haudenosaunee people, that it's really a strong push for them.
[12:56] They see it as an opportunity for them to tell their story about their identity.
[13:00] Truth is foundational and this idea again about the opportunity to tell the truth, to really explain
[13:06] this to non-Indigenous visitors as well. It cannot be pan-Indigenous and this is something
[13:12] that we heard again throughout all engagement, which also underscores the need to have these
[13:16] ongoing conversations with them. Six Nations expressed a clear openness to engaging and
[13:23] sort of navigating or discussing with the Mississaugas in thinking that there should be
[13:29] like an equal split in terms of both stories, both nations should have space to tell their
[13:35] own stories and their own histories. They thought, you know, focus on traditional
[13:40] teaching and sharing about Indigenous practices such as cooking and beading.
[13:44] And again for them, the water remains a very important focus of the experience.
[13:53] So just a few quotes from them again focusing on the outdoor gathering, that idea of reconnecting
[13:59] to Earth, the opportunity for Indigenous expression and that the libraries where people will merge
[14:06] and will come to this place because they already associate the library with learning and it's
[14:10] an opportunity for the Learning and Six Nations to work together to help tell that story of
[14:14] Six Nations. The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the conversation had some
[14:22] similarities, some overlaps in terms of topics. So of course, talking about interpretation,
[14:26] language, its importance, the authenticity and the concern of pretend Indigenous people.
[14:33] This is something that we're aware of. And again environmental stewardship with a common
[14:39] thread there. The key takeaways that we had from this session were that it's important,
[14:46] they very much feel it's very important that Mississaugas of the Credit are recognized and
[14:49] included in the project, that they have a voice at the table, that they're able to be heard.
[14:56] Pardon me. Again the commonality that this cannot be a pan-Indigenous
[15:00] Place. Treaty holders must be honored, recognizing and working to ensure that we are being inclusive
[15:06] of others, making space for others, other treaty holders, so in this case sort of an indirect
[15:11] reference perhaps to Six Nations, that there are different paths, but different stories,
[15:17] but they all converge at some point. And I think this was a really beautiful way of
[15:21] putting it in something that we're hoping to capture as well, that we hope we've captured
[15:24] in the visitor experience. And again, this idea that water is core, water is very important,
[15:30] to the learning experience, especially at this site, and the truth is foundational,
[15:34] and that it's not meant to hurt people, but it's used as an element to help people understand
[15:39] the history of different peoples in and around Hamilton.
[15:46] I gained just a few quotes. So, you know, ensuring that we're inclusive and recognizing others,
[15:53] the library's a trusted source. This, again, this idea that the library's a knowledge
[15:56] center of knowledge is an opportunity, and partnerships is being very significant.
[16:04] So, at the end of our engagement activities, we had spoken, we've conducted 13 interviews with
[16:10] interested parties to separate pop-up events. We had 31 responses on this survey, nearly 900
[16:17] responses on the public survey. Over 90 people were engaged at the pop-ups, two listening
[16:23] circles with First Nations, and also two vision workshops at the very outset. And the findings
[16:28] from all of this engagement were really crucial and foundational instead of paving the preliminary
[16:34] directions for the visitor experience strategy. So, moving into the visitor experience strategy,
[16:43] at a very high level, the visitor experience strategy seeks to
[16:48] define the guiding principles, the visitor experience goals,
[16:51] the site's interpretive focus, who your target audiences are going to be,
[16:55] what the overall visitor journey and experience is intended to be, and that will help shape and
[16:59] inform the facilities and design work later. Thinking about different ways of interpretation,
[17:05] identifying potential types of educational and public programs, activities, events,
[17:10] all of which will help to activate the space and make it a year-round hub.
[17:13] And it introduces early directions for these sites, the re-envision sites identity.
[17:22] So, the big idea sort of at a highest level for this place is that this new site,
[17:29] this redeveloped site, must feel alive, not static, social, not silent, and contemporary,
[17:34] not historic. It's intended to be, as I mentioned, an everyday community hub,
[17:39] anchored by the library. The library is the heart of the site. It's a site that's
[17:43] grounded in truth and indigenous authenticity. And through everyday activities and amenities,
[17:49] the goal is for this to become a true third space where people and residents come to learn,
[17:54] connect, and simply belong. So, we've established a set of guiding principles.
[18:03] And guiding principles essentially help to create a clear foundation to guide decision-making,
[18:09] which ultimately helps staff to create and stakeholders to create a consistent cohesive
[18:13] experience across all of the offerings that ultimately come to be implemented and defined.
[18:19] So, anytime a question arises, you sort of come back to these and go,
[18:22] is the decision we're making in alignment with these principles?
[18:26] So, the nine guiding principles are the idea that this space is a living knowledge center.
[18:31] Gathering is the core experience. This is a space that is grounded in indigenous
[18:36] authenticity and roofed in land, water, and place. It is human-centered and designed
[18:42] for everyday accessibility, inclusivity, and belonging. It is flexible, adaptable, and responsive.
[18:49] It seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor experiences. It embeds sustainability and stewardship,
[18:56] and it facilitates learning through actively doing and participating,
[19:00] not simply sort of passive observation.
[19:05] We've also established what we think are some helpful institutional goals that sort of
[19:09] consider, in this case, particularly the library's own institutional framework,
[19:15] as well as the civic strategies that are happening in the city of Toronto, and the city of Hamilton,
[19:20] pardon me. So, the institutional goals being that this place will operate as a vibrant
[19:25] year-round community hub. It will strengthen and integrate indigenous partnership and
[19:30] self-governance to advance truth and reconciliation. It will embed accessibility
[19:34] and inclusivity to support community well-being and belonging. It will activate the waterfront
[19:40] all the year-round to become an anchoring cultural destination, and it will expand
[19:44] the library and cultural service reach within Hamilton.
[19:50] Similarly, there are some interpretive goals. These largely reflect some of the things I've
[19:55] already been saying, but to center indigenous truth, voices, and presence, to understand
[20:00] connections between land, water, and history, to help visitors contextualize Hamilton's layered
[20:06] identity and to learn through multiple senses and mediums. And again, these are really what we
[20:11] want visitors to learn and take away with them from a visit to this new redeveloped space.
[20:20] The interpretive focus is similarly tied to the interpretive goals and also to the visitor
[20:26] experience goals, and essentially what we heard is that the vision, the preliminary vision,
[20:30] established by the library and by the indigenous relations division to emphasize indigenous
[20:34] history and culture. This was strongly supported throughout the engagement, so it's really become
[20:39] the root, the core of the interpretive focus, that this place will celebrate Hamilton's
[20:44] history and culture and emphasize the long-standing presence of indigenous peoples
[20:49] in and around Hamilton, including both rights holders and urban indigenous voices,
[20:54] and it will convey their various knowledge systems and histories and culture alongside
[20:59] broader Hamilton history.
[21:05] The visitor experience goals are outcomes of what we want visitors to have from their time at this
[21:11] site, so not necessarily the learning component of an interpretive goal, but rather what we
[21:18] want them to feel or have experienced when they leave. So we want them to feel welcomed, safe,
[21:25] and like they belong here. We want them to feel like they can discover and learn through exploration
[21:31] and active participation. We want them to gather, connect, and build relationships. We want them
[21:36] to return regularly as part of everyday life, to engage with the waterfront as part of the
[21:42] experience, so not just passively, and we want to inspire curiosity, reflection, and continued
[21:49] learning in them. We've also thought about the sort of type, the types of visitors that you'll
[21:58] be serving, and there are indeed quite a number. And we sort of, we have kept this list as is
[22:06] because we heard about these different groups in different, through different lenses of the
[22:09] engagement. So obviously one of your core groups, your primary users or audiences is going to be
[22:15] your library users because you'll have, the library will be the anchor of the site. But also
[22:20] thinking about general, more generally Hamilton residents, your urban Indigenous community members
[22:25] because we repeatedly heard that there isn't really a kind of dedicated space for urban
[22:30] Indigenous voices or members to gather publicly. Thinking about multi-generational
[22:36] families, youth and young adults, and newcomers to Hamilton.
[22:41] And these are the audiences who we're really thinking about. These are the core audiences
[22:46] that we're thinking about when we think about the types of programs that you may want to implement,
[22:50] the functionality of the spaces. So in Sean's work with the facility planning,
[22:55] the components that are really central to this site are being driven by these audiences,
[23:03] these primary audiences. The secondary audiences are other groups that may come and use the site,
[23:09] but we're not necessarily designing programs and functionality of spaces to meet their needs
[23:13] first and foremost. So these secondary audiences might be educators and students,
[23:18] they may be cultural tourists who are sort of passing through or seeking some local context,
[23:23] and they might be community organizations and or other partner groups.
[23:27] So throughout the building, throughout the site, there's a number of different visitor
[23:35] experience techniques that you may be able to employ to communicate the interpretive goals,
[23:41] the interpretive concept, and to also help provide the type of experience that we want
[23:46] visitors to have when they're here. I've only highlighted a few in today's presentation,
[23:53] so there is a full list here. There's sort of a longer list in the report.
[23:56] The ones in blue are the ones that I'm just going to briefly highlight.
[24:00] So thinking in terms of, particularly with the Indigenous focus, the idea of storytelling and
[24:06] oral histories, because we know that those are really important modes of communication
[24:10] for First Nations, for Indigenous people to share their history and continue their traditions.
[24:16] Thank you about multiple perspectives, and this is sort of inherent in the idea that we're
[24:20] not just telling broader Hamilton history, we're not just telling Indigenous history,
[24:26] we're actually telling both of those stories alongside each other with space to understand
[24:30] how they coexist, how they overlap and where they don't, or where they diverge perhaps.
[24:36] Thinking about collaboration and co-creation, so how can you work with potentially community-led
[24:42] exhibition proposals where your community are actually helping to create this space,
[24:46] and this could be through partnerships with other institutions, or it could be community groups.
[24:52] Thinking about dispersed discovery environments, so the idea that you don't just walk into a
[24:58] single room to see, you know, a mini-exhibition, but rather that there are these interpretive
[25:04] and discoverable moments embedded throughout the site, whether they're small vitrines,
[25:10] public artwork, there's a lot of different ways to do this, to have visitors feel engaged
[25:14] throughout the building, not just in one specific space.
[25:18] Thinking about the outdoors, because we know how excited a lot of people are about the possibility
[25:25] of this space in connection to Waterfront, so thinking about the green space and just connectivity
[25:31] in general, the possibility for multilingual outdoor interpretive signage. This is an example
[25:38] that I really love, it's at Trillium Park, which is sort of very close to me in Toronto,
[25:43] and they had this project where all of the plantings, all of the different vegetation, the trees at
[25:51] Trillium Park are identified by markers that have the name, the sort of common English name,
[25:57] as well as a name in a relevant Indigenous language, so most of them are in Anishinaabek,
[26:04] and a little history, there's actually a web component that you can go on and see all
[26:08] of these markers and learn about the cultural significance to the Anishinaabek peoples about each
[26:18] species that's planted. As well, this idea of multiple and diversified programming, so
[26:26] cooking classes, in this case, there's a dance presentation from the One Escape and Heritage
[26:30] Center, so bringing in that Indigenous element, highlighting also that any interpretive component,
[26:37] any programming component, anything that is about Indigenous peoples needs to be done with
[26:44] Indigenous peoples, so that means that there needs to be ongoing collaboration,
[26:47] ongoing partnership to ensure that they are the ones who have the autonomy over how their
[26:52] story is being told throughout all stages. And ending this technique section now with
[27:01] the idea of an outdoor gathering circle, so we definitely heard that there is the desire
[27:06] for a purpose-built gathering space, whether that is indoors or outdoors, but we've also heard that
[27:12] the significance, of course, for water and land is very great for Indigenous peoples.
[27:18] So this would give them the opportunity to have maybe a space for fire, if not physical access,
[27:24] we know that that's very challenging at the location, but at least visual access
[27:28] for that more spiritual connection with the water. And just again, acknowledging that
[27:33] anything like this, any component related to Indigenous culture and history presence,
[27:38] needs to be through ongoing engagement with their knowledge keepers, their elders,
[27:43] to ensure it's authentic and done correctly and sensitively.
[27:50] So thinking about the overall journey of a visitor at this site, there's sort of five key
[27:58] stages, if you like. So one is the first being the arrival, there's the orientation components,
[28:04] so getting situated, there's exploring the core components, and then departing and hopefully
[28:11] returning. So that arrival might be planned or it might be spontaneous because we know that there
[28:18] is broader waterfront development as well as the connectivity of trails, orientation coming
[28:23] into the space, understanding where you are, what is or is not available there, exploring those
[28:29] various components. So in the building itself would be the cultural heritage components, the
[28:35] library, the cafe, the amenities, the Indigenous gathering space, but also recognizing that there's
[28:40] this sort of broader peer-eat context. So they might also be exploring partner programs
[28:46] that are more affiliated with someone else in Peer-Eat or West Harbour like the Haida,
[28:50] or they might be going to the center's own outdoor spaces, and then again leaving and
[28:57] ultimately we would like to think returning and making this a regular habit.
[29:04] So the core components, I'll let you just jump to the next to this visual, the core components,
[29:10] there were five that were originally presented to us and we've actually really kept those
[29:14] five, so the library, the cultural heritage spaces, the visitor amenities, the cafe and the Indigenous
[29:20] gathering space, but the emphasis on outdoor gathering area and the connection to water was
[29:28] so significant throughout all streams of engagement that we really felt that outdoor
[29:32] gathering areas needed to be added as another core component. So that's really the only
[29:37] sort of substantial change we've made if you like is really just to add that outdoor
[29:41] aspect as a core component to ensure that its significance is not overlooked.
[29:50] The library will continue to offer branch library services, you know,
[29:54] robust hours, types of gathering spaces for solo or meeting or community gathering.
[30:00] Gathering, interpretive content and programs, facilitating access to social services to partnership.
[30:06] All of the things that you already do will continue to be offered here in tailored as
[30:10] needed to best suit that neighbourhood. The Indigenous gathering space, again, this will
[30:17] be, we really believe, this needs to be led and heavily designed and inspired by in consultation
[30:23] with appropriate Indigenous leaders, but there will be opportunities for gathering, you know,
[30:31] adaptable environments, quiet spaces, perhaps a private space for an elder in residence to
[30:37] help steward the space and what it is and what it means, as long as well as cultural events
[30:43] as they deem appropriate. Heritage-based experiences, so these could be small-scale rotating displays
[30:50] through that dispersed discovery technique that I mentioned. They could be audio-based
[30:55] storytelling, digital installations, dedicated exhibition spaces, sort of movable or temporary,
[31:01] we've called them storytelling stations, but almost like a kit of parts that could pop up
[31:05] around the building or be moved or removed as needed. And that modularity allows for
[31:11] updateability year-round without having to do, let's say, an exhibition space update.
[31:16] A cafe or restaurant that is highly accessible, given the interpretive concept and focus of
[31:24] this site, we think it would be something really interesting to highlight Indigenous ingredients
[31:28] or recipes that change with the season. This could also be through a partnership with an
[31:32] Indigenous vendor perhaps, providing a comfortable environment and leveraging the scenic waterfront
[31:38] views, because we know that that is something that people will be coming here for.
[31:41] Visitor amenities, so things like public washrooms, a kitchen or food support infrastructure,
[31:51] perhaps that could also facilitate teaching programs. There seemed to be quite an interest in
[31:56] cooking or learning about cooking in Indigenous foodways through the engagement.
[32:01] Amenities that are comfortable, inviting, there should be clear wayfinding and thresholds
[32:08] and design for physical accessibility as well.
[32:15] The outdoor learning and gathering areas, again, we think these should be something that can,
[32:20] they're suitable for ceremony, for Indigenous ceremony, perhaps featuring Indigenous plants,
[32:26] how they're grown, how they're used, spaces for seasonal programming and performances,
[32:32] opportunities to engage with water as a teaching and a relational element,
[32:36] an overall outdoor interpretation that helps to align with the broader visitor experience
[32:41] goals and interpretive concepts that I outlined earlier.
[32:46] While water access to water is not necessarily possible at this site due to the elevation,
[32:54] there are other parts of West Harbour that are being developed that may have better access
[32:57] to water, such as Makasa Bay. There is still opportunity and it's actually something
[33:02] that's already sort of being discussed preliminarily, but ways to integrate water into the
[33:09] outdoors. So elements like small ponds or water fountains, things like that, that help to bring
[33:14] an element of water up to visitors. We've identified some sort of general operational
[33:25] considerations and some of these will begin to be exploited a little bit more particularly
[33:29] through in the the broader site plan that Sean can talk about and the operations plan,
[33:34] which Dev will be leading. But some of the operational considerations are, you know,
[33:40] there will need to be staff to develop the interpretive content and exhibits and programs,
[33:45] staff to develop those programs, but also to run the programs as well as the day-to-day
[33:49] library function, staffing and operations of the Indigenous faces. And we know that
[33:55] you're very interested in understanding the governance piece and that is something
[33:58] that Dev will be exploring in his operations plan, in particular around the governance
[34:06] sort of model or partnership model that could happen with the Indigenous spaces and how other
[34:10] libraries in Canada have navigated that and what their system has been. Thinking about
[34:17] access to the site, so through parking for day and night time users, but also school groups
[34:23] or buses, bike racks, EB charging, traffic and wayfinding, broader transit access.
[34:30] We know that that's going to be a site, a sort of focus for the future site is the public transit
[34:35] piece. They need for these different components, so for example the library, the cafe, a need to
[34:43] just gathering space, the need for these different components to operate independently of each other.
[34:48] So if one is closed, the others can still operate. While the green spaces are not within our scope of
[34:55] sort of a hard and fast programming or design necessarily, but we are thinking about the
[35:01] opportunities of what those green spaces can be, particularly how you can leverage those
[35:05] through partnership. We're also thinking about the transference of noise, both inside, between
[35:12] spaces, but also between the indoors and outdoors. The ongoing relationship with Parks Canada and the
[35:19] broader West Harbour redevelopment, we know that these have some impacts on the work that or will
[35:24] have some sort of context and informing on the work that we're doing. And then also thinking
[35:28] about outdoor washrooms or making indoor washrooms that are directly accessible from the outside
[35:33] because we know that this is going to become sort of a hub for activity.
[35:36] So just jumping into my last section and then I'll pass it over to Sean. So thinking about
[35:45] programs and partnerships, we know that there's a lot of interest in this site and that interpretive
[35:51] programming options need to address a wide range of audiences. They also need to give different
[35:58] levels of flexibility or they are scheduled ahead of time and so on. And these various
[36:05] range of educational, public or community programs, cultural and potentially also recreational programs.
[36:13] Thinking about where these activities, these various programs can happen,
[36:17] there are different levels that can happen in different places and there's the onsite component
[36:24] which is onsite actually at the centre at the building. But we're also thinking about
[36:29] onsite within Pure 8, within the waterfront through those different partnerships that
[36:33] may be able to be formed. Offsite beyond Pure 8, so for example with other Hamilton cultural
[36:40] institutions and museums and organisations and then of course virtual, so online app-based mobile
[36:47] apps etc. We sort of broken these down also further into four categories of programs and
[36:56] events and essentially it's a sort of mix and match of are they registered or are they not
[37:00] registered in advance and are they paid or are they not paid in advance. And we just want to stress
[37:06] or sort of emphasise as well, we know that the library won't charge for programs. However there
[37:12] may be partnerships again, different partnerships where there may be programs that are sort of
[37:16] like an enhanced level of visitor experience that the partner may charge a fee for. Things
[37:23] like the cafe will also be a source of revenue generation, bigger ticketed events
[37:29] perhaps outside in the summer. So there's really a mix and match that can be made here
[37:34] and there are different pros and cons to each. The flexibility of drop-in versus the
[37:43] maybe not having a sense of how many people are going to show up. So with the sense of
[37:48] a registered event you have a better sense of what to expect. Your staff can prepare accordingly
[37:52] or the facilitators that are delivering through a partner can prepare accordingly
[37:57] bigger unregistered events. You might not know how many people are coming. You might be
[38:00] in for a bit of a surprise. So there's different pros and cons to consider with each of these.
[38:07] And then there's different types of programs as well. So there's public and community programs.
[38:12] So these might be artists in residence programs and elder in residence as I mentioned.
[38:19] Community conservation initiatives, wellness programming, musical performances, a variety.
[38:25] Public and community events. So these might be things like craft and holiday markets,
[38:30] outdoor film screenings. We know there's a lot of interest in the outdoor space.
[38:35] Educational programs, maybe talks, panels, facilitating or sort of welcoming
[38:42] summer or March break visits by partner affiliates. Land, water and ecology walks.
[38:49] And then there's things like temporary exhibitions which would be, you know,
[38:53] perhaps indigenous as well as non-indigenous local histories and culture
[38:57] exhibition spaces, rotating art exhibitions, public art installations.
[39:02] Really, there's such a wide variety here. And this is presented as well. Maybe I should
[39:05] just say this as sort of a menu of options so that as you get further along, you have a better
[39:11] sense of what may or may not work, the types of partnerships you can form,
[39:15] which partners are able to help deliver which activities to make sure that you are also
[39:20] developing something that's sustainable for all of you. And then again, just noting that there
[39:26] are opportunities for things like waterfront and outdoor programming, holidays and cultural
[39:31] observances. In particular, we know that there's a number of indigenous days or sort of
[39:37] dates that are being recognized for indigenous significance. And as mentioned through the
[39:40] engagement, it feels that there's not really a dedicated space for these types of gatherings
[39:44] to happen. And then of course, things more along the lines of rentals that could be a source of
[39:51] revenue generation. So sort of just wrapping up on the partnerships piece. You know, partnerships
[39:58] can serve many different components. They can deepen research. They can help to increase the
[40:03] use because you're bringing the audiences of your partners. They can leverage the shared
[40:07] resources to reduce the level of work on strain on the library staff that are doing their own work,
[40:15] help to build community awareness and support, and overall just help to increase visitor
[40:19] attendance and sustain that visitor ship, which is really going to be key to the site success.
[40:27] Finally, a note on indigenous partnerships. And this is something that we have sort of set
[40:31] throughout, but really indigenous partnerships are relationship first. They cannot be treated as
[40:37] sort of one-time transactional moments. They need to be genuine relationships that are cultivated
[40:46] to have, you know, it requires dedicated staff time, sustained investment, but it really helps to
[40:51] create that long-term commitment that will ground the site in an authentic indigenous
[40:59] position. So I'm just going to blow through these slides briefly because I want to make sure
[41:06] that Sean has time to present, but just to say that we have already identified a number of potential
[41:10] partners, essentially all of the partners that we heard as being possibilities through all of our
[41:15] streams of engagement. So there's a number of partners that would be First Nations and
[41:20] Indigenous-led organizations, environmental and natural heritage partners in tourism and economic
[41:26] development, partners with cultural institutions, community and social services, and then other
[41:32] programming and exhibition partnerships as well. So I'm going to take a moment and pause,
[41:40] and I'm going to pass it over to Sean, who will walk you through the preliminary facility planning
[41:44] work. Thanks, Alex. I appreciate that. Hi, everyone. Nice to see everybody. I just wanted,
[41:50] we're going to take a few minutes and talk about the preliminary facility planning. And so when
[41:54] we talk about facility planning, what we're talking about here is understanding it really is two larger
[41:58] components. One is understanding the space needs. So this is really understanding the types of rooms,
[42:03] the types of spaces that will be in the library and cultural building and their size. And then the
[42:08] second part really is the concept design. Now we're not talking about concept design yet,
[42:11] although we are working with the architectural team to advance that. But for this moment,
[42:15] we're going to talk about just preliminary facility planning and some of our early
[42:18] assumptions regarding the types of spaces and the plans. Okay, so we just want to start
[42:24] as part of the development of the program, we need to establish a set of assumptions
[42:28] so that we know what is the framework around what we are working toward. Next slide.
[42:34] So really, you know, we don't want to start or we want to start really at a kind of a high
[42:38] level. And we want to say to ourselves, we want to reframe this library, you know,
[42:42] this is not just a library branch. We know that it has a much larger role. It's a much,
[42:46] it's a new civic typology that we're looking to develop in this location. So really,
[42:51] this is more than just a library branch. As you can see, it's a civic platform
[42:55] for learning, making, cultural exchange. It is a multifunctional anchor where space is
[43:02] shaped by activity and not stacks. So it's really sort of taking that library function,
[43:07] which is central to the program, but it's not just singular. It's part of a wider
[43:11] collection of activities that includes exhibition, gathering, creative production,
[43:16] and social spaces into one facility. So really, we're calling this a new civic
[43:21] typology and exploring how that can be, how that can be developed in this location.
[43:26] That's okay. Go to the next slide. So as part of the work, we've developed a set of principles
[43:31] for larger, higher first principles that we want to be able to work toward and test
[43:36] the program against. So you can see we have, we've come up with five of them. So clearly,
[43:41] it's about activity-led. So space here is organized around use, not just necessarily
[43:47] fixed typologies, fixed stacks, but really more flexible and activity-based.
[43:51] It's distributed. So again, we're not talking about an area for stacks, an area for this,
[43:56] an area for that. It's really about mixing and blending functions throughout the entire
[44:00] building to create zones of activity. Flexibility, of course, is a critical
[44:05] and key component of long-term sustainability. So we want to make sure that spaces are
[44:10] flexible and adaptable and can achieve and support multiple functions and activities.
[44:15] There's obviously a library component, but there's a cultural core as well. So as Alex
[44:19] has talked about, Indigenous and cultural programming are embedded in the program. It's
[44:23] not ancillary or secondary. It's blended and mixed with the other library functions.
[44:29] And as I said, really something that's part of a larger ecosystem. So this is really
[44:33] an ecosystem of civic and cultural and library-based functions. So these are the
[44:36] first principles. Next slide. So I'm just going to talk. We've outlined a number of
[44:41] our planning assumptions. I'm not going to go through these in great detail, but you can see,
[44:45] again, we're starting to evolve some of those principles, some of those new typology
[44:49] thoughts into a set of assumptions. And so as the first one, it prioritizes
[44:54] typology, prioritizes shared use, flexibility, and program and activity.
[45:00] Rather than just sort of traditional collection dominant library spaces. So again, it's not just
[45:04] about stacks. It's about a variety of different uses and activities that could happen. Equally,
[45:10] as we think about that, the service model is changing. And we're looking at things like it's
[45:15] now more a platform for access and learning and community engagement. So, you know, there's a
[45:22] reduced reliance on, you know, kind of reference desks and traditional fixed service points.
[45:26] We're now looking at opportunities for mobile and distributed access. And it's really more on
[45:31] informal participatory and drop-in patterns. So, when we get to the architectural plans later
[45:37] in subsequent stages, you can start to see how some of these ideas are being implemented.
[45:41] Next slide. Just, I'm like this is a lot of detail. I'm not going to go into this one,
[45:45] but just so you understand, one of the drivers we were told is the collection. The size of the
[45:50] collection is around 12 to 15,000 items. So, we've used some rules of thumb math
[45:55] to try and understand what that is from a space implication. And again, this is just simply
[46:01] showing that we've done our due diligence to understand how much space we need in the building
[46:04] to accommodate the collections as well as all the other items. Next slide.
[46:13] Again, I think we've talked about this, but this idea of a programming priority shift.
[46:16] You know, it's not collection dominant, but it's around flexible spaces, creative
[46:20] production and maker spaces, exhibition, interpretive programming, social interaction.
[46:25] And really, it's about this idea of a third place. You've probably heard about this
[46:29] homework, and then there's the social third place. So, we want the library and this building to have
[46:34] a much greater civic relevance rather than just singular use. And as Alex has talked about,
[46:39] you know, multiple slides, the integration with indigenous and cultural programming is
[46:43] fully integrated in the design, in the plan, in the program. It is not an
[46:47] cellular or secondary thought. It is very much part of the core function of this building.
[46:53] Next slide. Flexibility. I've talked about this. Obviously, flexibility is a key for
[46:58] long-term sustainability, long-term program agility and being nimble in terms of
[47:05] supporting other programs as needs and preferences change. So, we want to build and make sure
[47:09] spaces can support that flexibility. And the last one, and actually in hindsight on
[47:13] seeing this, it probably should have been the first thing I led with. But what we're
[47:16] talking about here is it's a medium-scale branch. It's around 10,000 square feet of core library.
[47:23] And that is, you know, the core library functions obviously are the stacks, the sorting,
[47:28] the like stacks and sorting, et cetera. But also, what we're talking about is other
[47:34] cultural components. So, it's not traditional. And I'm going to skip the next three bullets
[47:37] here, but to lead you to the next slide. So, we're talking about something that's
[47:41] around 10,000. So, what does that mean? I mean, all of these are kind of the
[47:44] assumptions, but we have to now look at as we talk about the space program. So, the
[47:48] space program, just again for information, it's an itemized list of the rooms and
[47:52] the spaces that are required to support the functions of this building.
[47:59] When we are dealing with existing building, we need to look at a number of different
[48:02] scenarios. So, just for information, the existing building is about 14,500 square feet
[48:07] of usable interior area. But as we start to look at the program and all of the
[48:14] spaces and functions required, not only for core library functions, but to help
[48:18] really achieve that vision of the visitor experience plan and the other components,
[48:23] we wanted to look at how much space do we need to achieve all that. We know we have
[48:28] an existing building of a fixed size, but we wanted to develop first, actually,
[48:32] what I'm really trying to say is we can develop three options. And the first
[48:35] option we looked at, we called full vision. And this is, what do we need to
[48:40] accommodate adequately and successfully the program functions and visitor
[48:45] experience? So, the full vision option, which includes, and I'll talk about this in
[48:50] effect, Parks offices, Parks Canada offices, is about 22,000 square feet. So,
[48:54] it does require a small building expansion based on the existing building that's
[49:00] there. We also looked at two other options. We recognize that there is an
[49:04] existing building. We recognize there may be capital constraints or other
[49:08] constraints that limit potential expansion. So, we wanted to test the
[49:12] options to say, what if we took the vision and the program and we included it
[49:18] and made it fit within the existing building footprint? So, that is what we
[49:22] call these two options, reduced vision. Now, here's where Parks comes in. We
[49:26] know that in the existing building, there are spaces for Parks Canada offices
[49:31] and we are under the assumption, or at least rather, we're looking into
[49:35] whether this building needs to accommodate those Parks Canada offices
[49:39] or not. We're still working to confirm that, but since we don't know that yet,
[49:43] we've looked at two options. One that is a reduced vision that fits in the
[49:47] building that excludes Parks Canada offices and one option that
[49:51] includes Parks. So, we want to be able to compare these two options together.
[49:56] And what that really means is at the end of the day is in one option,
[50:00] if you exclude Parks Canada offices, you have more space that you can
[50:04] dedicate toward library and cultural programming. If you need to include the
[50:08] Parks offices within the building, you have less space.
[50:11] So, we're making an assumption right now of about 2,000 square feet
[50:15] for Parks Canada offices, which is about what they have now,
[50:18] and we'll be confirming that as the process moves along, but we are
[50:21] at least acknowledging that condition that we may have to accommodate
[50:25] Parks offices going forward. So, we've developed three options,
[50:29] looking at the space, and we're working with the architects now
[50:32] to map that out into advance the design to see how that fits within the
[50:36] existing building on the existing site and what a small expansion might
[50:40] look like. Next slide. And the last slide I have, and I did
[50:44] move through this quickly because I'm conscious of time, just again to
[50:47] talk about what the program is. It's an itemized list of the rooms
[50:51] and spaces, but we do need to organize it. We want to keep track of the
[50:54] spaces that we have, and so we've organized the program
[50:57] into, and when we do share that later on down the line, the program is
[51:00] organized into sort of four primary categories,
[51:03] and we call them, the first one is core library functions.
[51:06] So, these are primary library spaces. So, this is collections, reading,
[51:10] and essential services like sorting and admin spaces.
[51:13] We've also categorized spaces around creative learning and production.
[51:16] So, maker spaces, classrooms, instruction rooms,
[51:20] or creative production rooms, things like that, like artists and residents or
[51:23] writer and residents, that would fall into this category.
[51:26] Civic, cultural, and indigenous. So, these are the spaces that Alice has talked
[51:30] about in part in her visitor experience plan. So, exhibition and display,
[51:34] indigenous gathering, the food service and cafe that we've talked about,
[51:38] and then of course there's the co-located institutional parks counter
[51:41] offices. So, these are the four primary categories of space that we're
[51:44] looking at when we program the building, but I want to be very clear,
[51:47] again, when you see the program in our next meeting or whenever,
[51:51] it's not an expression of architectural design. It does not imply
[51:54] that there are four zones in the building. It's simply an organizing tool
[51:58] in the program so we can understand how spaces are relating to each other and
[52:02] make sure we're not losing track of key spaces as we move along,
[52:06] and it allows us to sort these spaces into the program.
[52:11] I think that's my last slide, Alex. So, do I have another one or that might be it?
[52:14] And that's, well, I'll hand it off to you for next steps.
[52:16] That sounds good. Thanks, Sean. So, I know we've blown through and this is
[52:20] always a lot of information, but thank you for, you know, following along.
[52:24] So, our sort of immediate next steps are as Sean has mentioned, we'll continue
[52:28] at sort of facility planning work. He's also begun working with the architect,
[52:31] so that'll be sort of advancing the schematic design and capital cost
[52:35] estimates as well. And those two streams of work will sort of be working in
[52:38] parallel. And that will be, we've also become the
[52:41] operations, attendance and revenue and expense projections at work, so that's
[52:45] the work that's being led by Dove. And at the end of this, all of that
[52:50] and all of the engagement summary and the visitor experience strategy,
[52:53] everything will be consolidated into one sort of draft overall plan, which will
[52:59] be reviewed and then finalized into the final plan.
[53:04] So, Cindy, I will perhaps turn it over to you. I can't, because I'm sharing
[53:10] screen things are hidden, but I'll turn it back to you to take as much as
[53:13] any questions in the room.
[53:17] Thank you very much. It is quite informative and very insightful.
[53:22] And I open it up to the board members for questions.
[53:27] Dina.
[53:32] Like winning the lottery, the lights came on the very first time.
[53:36] Thank you so much for this. I know that exciting is currently
[53:42] incredibly overused, but I can't think of another
[53:46] descriptor. This is extremely exciting, so thank you very much for this.
[53:51] I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but I just wanted to get your
[53:55] thoughts on a couple of things sort of going forward. I know that there's a
[53:58] lot here that speaks to structure and
[54:02] principles and goals and then and thank you as well for sort of then
[54:05] focusing on the actual sort of possible physical considerations.
[54:10] One of the things that really struck me was the emphasis on
[54:14] establishing and maintaining a long-term trust-based
[54:19] relationship with our Indigenous partners.
[54:22] And it's my sort of general understanding that that's certainly been sort of part of
[54:26] the process all the way along. I'm wondering what your thoughts are
[54:31] about what kinds of mechanisms or approaches, how is that maintained? I mean
[54:37] the completion if you will of the project is one thing,
[54:40] but long-term relationships obviously contemplate
[54:44] something that's sort of almost in perpetuity.
[54:47] So I just sort of wondered if you turned your minds to those
[54:50] kinds of considerations. For sure and I'm happy to speak to that a little bit
[54:56] and just to sort of emphasize as well this is
[54:59] something that Dev will be getting into a little bit more when he starts to do.
[55:02] He'll essentially be doing sort of informational interviews with staff at
[55:07] some of the comparable sites that we identified in our comparables analysis.
[55:10] So the Edmonton Public Library, the Halifax Central Libraries,
[55:13] where they have those dedicated sort of First Nations gathering spaces or
[55:18] Indigenous gathering spaces where they have figured out what that
[55:21] structure looks like. What I can say is
[55:26] it's really about this piece about the long-term relationship management
[55:30] is very much there, you know it's making sure their resource is dedicated
[55:33] to it. So there may need to be staff
[55:36] positions who are helping to do that, whose role is to help
[55:40] manage and steer that relationship. And the other big piece as well is
[55:44] it's something that cannot be determined
[55:47] without being in conversation with those partners.
[55:51] And that in some ways is one of the it's why even I hesitate to say
[55:56] you know to a great extent what that might look like because I am not one of
[56:00] those partners. What I've learned more than anything
[56:02] is to have those types of relationships in a genuine
[56:07] meaningful way, sustained way that is authentic and caring,
[56:12] needs to be developed in discussion, in collaboration with the partners that
[56:16] you're looking to engage. So whether that's the First Nations,
[56:18] whether that is Indigenous community organizations,
[56:22] they need to have a say in how they want to be involved and then it'll
[56:26] be a matter of determining what is possible,
[56:29] what's the consensus that you can reach between you.
[56:32] But that's something that Del will be looking at because there are
[56:35] institutions that have done that successfully. There are models for that.
[56:39] So he's going to be looking at how other institutions, other library systems
[56:42] have done it and then we'll be giving you some
[56:45] ideas about what that might look like for you.
[56:47] And I think again the sort of one caveat remains
[56:51] nothing about them without them is the motto that I always go to.
[56:55] So I hope that provides a little bit of clarity.
[57:00] Yeah, it does, thank you. And it also sort of focuses on what's still
[57:08] to come and clearly you've turned your minds to all of that going forward as well.
[57:12] I'm just really conscious that maintaining a relationship is not just sort of an episode,
[57:16] it contemplates check in some kind of devices to sort of ensure
[57:20] that it's being maintained and you're addressing concerns and the like on an
[57:24] ongoing basis. So it sounds like that's on the table
[57:28] and there will be more to come. So thank you very much.
[57:30] You're welcome.
[57:35] Thank you.
[57:42] This was amazing and it is very exciting. There was a couple of things that stood out
[57:49] and I mentioned one during your presentation and it was pretty adorable, the date night,
[57:55] it's small, but having worked in a library for a very long time, I've never considered it
[58:03] to be a hot date night place. So I really look forward to what you come up with.
[58:11] But I think what you're describing here is so much more than what we sort of traditionally
[58:18] see as a library. So in that way it is very exciting.
[58:22] I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about under your planning assumption
[58:29] slide, section two where it says library role and service model.
[58:36] I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about that. I know you alluded to the fact that
[58:41] that standard reference desk is not as popular anymore and having more fluid models of
[58:49] community being more engaged and users being more proactive when they're asking questions
[59:00] and providing a slightly more welcoming environment than what we see in a traditional library.
[59:07] Can you talk a little bit about your experience in that kind of design and what you're envisioning?
[59:13] I can touch on that a little bit. I wish David probably would see our architect
[59:17] because he's really talking about how to enact what you're talking about in physical terms.
[59:23] But I think what this is doing too is it's really starting to set the stage for really pushing
[59:28] that envelope beyond the traditional model where you have the centralized reception desk where
[59:34] everybody checks in and checks in their book and you talk to a librarian and you get your book
[59:38] from the desk. So it's really about trying to come up with a way to rethink that model
[59:44] so that you know that you start to decentralize functions and you start to decentralize activities
[59:49] and in doing so you also allow functions to sort of blend and mix and so you could have
[59:53] you could still have a check-in desk or a checkout desk but you could also do it remotely.
[59:57] You could do it via kiosk or something like that.
[1:00:00] So, when you start to think in those terms, it starts to inform architecturally, too, because
[1:00:04] now all of a sudden the desk might, and I'm speaking for the design team, so I, you know,
[1:00:08] I'm trying to speak at a turn, but I also am an architect, so I can talk a little bit about it.
[1:00:13] But, you know, when you have those kind of assumptions, it has a sort of a ripple effect,
[1:00:18] because the desk, and I just keep focusing on the desk, because it's a nice sort of,
[1:00:22] I think, a physical feature we're all aware of. But, you know, in those terms,
[1:00:25] the desk can become smaller. It doesn't need to have as much real estate. It might be at a
[1:00:29] different location in the building. So, it starts to, it can change its form. It can
[1:00:33] change its location. And it can change the nature of your experience. You know, if you want to come in
[1:00:38] and just, if you know, if you know exactly what you want, exactly where it is,
[1:00:43] you can come in and you can get it, you can find it, and you can leave very quickly.
[1:00:46] If you want to have more engagement, if you want to have more involvement,
[1:00:49] you know, it allows you that opportunity. So, that's, I think, really what it's about.
[1:00:53] It's really more about kind of changing the focus away from stacks and desk to blending and mixing.
[1:00:59] And so, you know, we started to work with the architects and started to look at some of the
[1:01:03] plans. And, you know, some of the options they're coming up with are really intriguing,
[1:01:06] because now you start to see, you know, areas where books are stored adjacent to
[1:01:12] exhibit spaces, where you start to see this kind of locating, co-locating of,
[1:01:16] let's say, like a work area and an artist-in-residence pod or a recording pod.
[1:01:20] So, again, it's sort of tearing down those sort of pre or early ideas of kind of fixed boundaries
[1:01:28] and trying to sort of change that and blow it all apart and bring it all back together in a whole
[1:01:32] new way. For sure. And if I, that's, I think that's, but you said that so well, Sean, and if I can,
[1:01:38] because I know there's one instance that we've already just been looking at where I'm like,
[1:01:40] oh, this already feels like so not like I'm walking into a library and I'm going to be
[1:01:46] faced with a reception desk, right? But maybe you walk in and the first thing you
[1:01:49] see is some sort of, you know, Indigenous art mural on the wall or there's Indigenous language
[1:01:54] interpretation on the wall about what it means to be at this place in this moment, right? So,
[1:01:59] it's also like this idea of how we interpret, or sorry, how we integrate these different components,
[1:02:05] right? So as Sean said, it's not, this is the reception area, this is the library,
[1:02:09] this is the gallery, but rather all of these things are sort of broken down and smashed
[1:02:14] together to create this one sort of new type of space where you might be coming to the library,
[1:02:20] but you might also just be coming because you think it's a nice space to hang out
[1:02:23] and look at the water or grab a coffee. So how those components are sort of melded is
[1:02:29] definitely something that I think our team is very excited about and already thinking about.
[1:02:34] Actually, you just triggered another thought just to build on that. You know, well,
[1:02:38] one of the things we didn't talk about is what two things, you know, to build on this idea
[1:02:42] of rethinking space and function, it's this idea that, you know, just looking at the notion of what
[1:02:46] is a traditional corridor and how, what is the circulation and how do you connect spaces
[1:02:50] and what is the function? And so, you know, a corridor could be just a way to get from
[1:02:54] one space to the other, but if it becomes wider and it becomes more designed and it becomes
[1:02:59] more animated, all of a sudden it becomes a program space. So it could be, as you said,
[1:03:03] it could have Indigenous content, signage, storytelling, etc., you know, as part of
[1:03:07] the experience of that, of what is normally utilitarian space. And the other thing is just
[1:03:13] to go back to the comment of date night, you know, one of the things I forgot to mention,
[1:03:17] we didn't put in here actually with this notion of exterior space as well. And so,
[1:03:21] you know, we talked a lot about the interior of the building, but we're not ignoring the exterior.
[1:03:26] So we know we have a fantastic site. We know we're on the water's edge.
[1:03:30] So, you know, I mean, to be great, you've got a cafe, we're thinking about outdoor spaces,
[1:03:34] outdoor seating areas, Indigenous gathering areas, or maybe you're going to cover
[1:03:38] pavilion of some kind, you know, water's edge reading spots. So,
[1:03:42] trying to promote that activation on the exterior. And, you know, it might, you know,
[1:03:47] that might be a nice place to go have a date night. You go get a coffee and you sip
[1:03:50] by the water on a summer's night, you know. So that, again, is sort of thinking about
[1:03:54] how do you redefine what this model is. And I think part of the, part of the
[1:03:58] advantage is the actual location. Absolutely. Not just the philosophical approach to
[1:04:03] the building, of course, but the idea, but the location is really driving a lot of these
[1:04:08] decisions, which is wonderful. So it's driving the exterior space. It's driving the location
[1:04:12] of programs in the building to take advantage of relationships with what's on the outside.
[1:04:17] So there's certainly opportunities and it's really informing a lot of the thinking
[1:04:21] around the planning, early planning of this building.
[1:04:26] Thank you. I think the word of the day is exciting.
[1:04:29] Yeah.
[1:04:34] And so just a bit of a follow, I mean, as I'm listening to you, part of what I'm wondering
[1:04:39] about too, and of course you would have lots of experience with this,
[1:04:44] there will still be, and part of that whole visitor experience, there will still be those
[1:04:50] for whom going into the library means I walk in, where's the desk?
[1:04:55] And so I'm just, so this is going to require some real recalibration for visitors because it won't be
[1:05:03] like anything that they've really typically seen or might expect to see. So I'm just sort of
[1:05:09] wondering how you, how you help them regain their equilibrium and how we sort of ensure
[1:05:14] that we're keeping an eye on providing that kind of visitor experience without people feeling,
[1:05:21] I don't know, disoriented, confused, and sort of that that's just going to be part of that
[1:05:26] initial settling in to a very new kind of experience. I'm just sort of curious about
[1:05:32] your experience and about your thoughts in that regard.
[1:05:34] Well, I think that's a very good point. I mean, I think we've talked a lot,
[1:05:37] I think recalibrating is a great word by the way, but I think at the same time you don't,
[1:05:41] we can't lose sight of the sort of the fundamental, we've called it core library
[1:05:45] activities. There's the fundamental activities. There is, whether the desk is big or small
[1:05:50] or round or square, there still needs to be certain basic functions. And I think
[1:05:53] there's a kind of assumed logic to the way, to the way, the sequence of the way the building
[1:05:59] operates. And what I'm talking about is I'm not, I'm not suggesting that all of a sudden the
[1:06:04] desk is this tiny little thing way in the back corner that nobody can find. At the end of
[1:06:09] the day, there's a certain fundamental logic about the way the building needs to operate.
[1:06:13] So I think that those things will still be embedded in the kind of the design.
[1:06:16] You know, and again, you come in and as Alex said, maybe you're confronted with some exhibit
[1:06:20] content or whatever, but fundamentally, you know, the sequence will need to be preserved
[1:06:25] about the way the library functions. And that is both tied to library functionality,
[1:06:29] but also visit our expectations, you know, and I think these also can be achieved
[1:06:34] through signage, you know, through wayfinding techniques and key placement of items like the
[1:06:39] desk or like, you know, classrooms and things like that. So I think, I think that
[1:06:44] not to kick it down the field to say the architects will solve it, but it is in a
[1:06:47] lot of ways a design, it's a design strategy as well, so that it recognizes the fundamental
[1:06:52] requirements, but at the same time trying to rethink how other spaces are laid out,
[1:06:57] how they relate to each other so that it's still fundamentally operational,
[1:07:02] but exciting and new and engaging at the same time.
[1:07:04] Thank you, Alexander. Thank you, Sean. You and your team have done a lot of good work here.
[1:07:15] We need clear foundational statements surrounding goals and values and I think we are
[1:07:22] on that path and we're seeing it in increasing detail and focus because we are all excited
[1:07:29] about this project. I think this is our most important project and we need to be sure of our
[1:07:36] footing to make sure that we do things right just to recognize the full partnerships of everyone
[1:07:43] involved. Alexander used the phrase point of convergence and that's what I latched on to,
[1:07:50] that we are talking about convergence in several forms, geographical, social, educational,
[1:07:58] cultural, personal, it goes on and we need to go forward in that spirit of
[1:08:06] needing or recognizing that we need to come together not just at this one moment, but for
[1:08:12] the pathway ahead. Speaking for myself, the last meeting we had on site, we already saw some of
[1:08:21] that convergence in action and that was very inspiring and I want to thank you for this
[1:08:26] report. You're very welcome. Thank you for having us and allowing us to present this. We're
[1:08:31] also equally excited and we look forward to continue working with you.
[1:08:37] All right, moving on to the next one. Alex, do we leave the meeting now? Is that the
[1:08:43] poor caller? I was just going to send you for direction there. You're always welcome to
[1:08:49] state but you can head on out. Thank you so much. Have a great evening. Bye-bye.
[1:08:58] Moving on to business arising, 7.1 West Harbor Temporary Library branch.
[1:09:06] Do we need the motion for this? Yeah, verbal updates. So we turn to Chad, please.
[1:09:13] Thank you very much, Chair. Good evening, everybody. I'm privileged to share a temporary branch
[1:09:19] update to the team and as I was preparing my notes for this evening, I thought, well,
[1:09:26] I'm not going to have a lot of talk about. As I began to document all of the updates that
[1:09:32] have taken place since the last time we met, they are quite substantial and it's pretty
[1:09:35] exciting. As board members, you have had the opportunity to get some insight into some of
[1:09:41] the funding changes that have taken place and I'll get into that in a little bit.
[1:09:46] I think most importantly, I want to recognize that there's been a lot of operational work
[1:09:51] behind the scenes with our partners with the Indigenous Relations Division and our
[1:09:55] management team as a whole, beginning to conceptualize what a day-to-day world looks
[1:10:01] like as we operate in this beautiful branch and I think that that can't go understated
[1:10:08] because the member experience and the visitor experience into that branch will set the tone,
[1:10:12] I think, not only for this temporary model but for the long-term vision as well. So grateful for
[1:10:18] our management team and all sorts of disciplines working with our partners and better understanding
[1:10:23] how that day-to-day will work. We have, we received some great news today that our
[1:10:29] construction will be commencing as of Monday and they have a goal and a target
[1:10:35] for us. They have a target of completing that construction,
[1:10:42] a target of completing that construction for July the 7th, that's our target. As long as we
[1:10:49] don't run into any major unforeseen circumstances, our contracting partner working with the
[1:10:54] City of Hamilton is confident that he's able to meet the selection process as it relates to
[1:10:59] materials, furniture, components all correlate to that date so we could be realistic about meeting
[1:11:06] expectations. We do know unforeseen things do happen and our fingers are crossed. I think the
[1:11:11] first couple of days of demolition are going to be the days that I'm closely paying attention
[1:11:16] to ensure that delays don't occur. I think once that uncovers itself, the installation
[1:11:24] and progress on the construction should go pretty seamless. We have a, with the construction
[1:11:33] planned to commence for the July 7th, we would expect a couple of weeks post-construction to
[1:11:38] backfill our collections, to backfill some of the exhibition components and working with our
[1:11:45] Indigenous relations partners around the art that is being looked at for installation around
[1:11:51] the facility may take a couple of weeks, but we're still, all sites are set on a July opening.
[1:12:00] Our operating hours, we've increased through the hard work of the management team and the
[1:12:06] senior leadership team. We've worked our operating hours, I think at the last meeting
[1:12:11] we were speaking to operating hours just under 40 hours. We're looking at a model now with 61
[1:12:16] hours plus Sunday, which gives us a consistent approach across our other branches and that is
[1:12:23] part and parcel with the work that the management team is doing to operationalize during all those
[1:12:28] hours, develop programming schedules, talking with, again, with our partners around how we can
[1:12:35] incorporate all the various activities that are going to take place during those operating
[1:12:39] hours. The exact times are to be confirmed, but the team is working on them and they'll
[1:12:44] be shared as soon as they're firmed up. Our furniture PO, so getting into some of the details,
[1:12:53] our furniture PO went out a couple of weeks ago. The furniture PO was an important one
[1:12:58] because it really was the longest lead time item that we were purchasing with the
[1:13:05] incoming funds from the Hamilton Community Foundation as we learned at the board meeting
[1:13:10] to officially be put into our minutes. We're utilizing some of our community
[1:13:15] funds to be able to incorporate into the temporary branch for a total of about $355,000
[1:13:24] and those funds specifically allow us, everybody knows that we were going into this branch,
[1:13:31] using some used furniture, pulling together some equipment. We had a very small new
[1:13:35] budget that would allow us to ensure that we stayed relevant and offered some core services.
[1:13:40] With the addition of the $355,000 from those funds, we're able to install the core technology
[1:13:48] brand new, the computers, our own HPL network, the Wi-Fi system, self-check. We're able to
[1:13:54] really drive the shelving display units, exhibition infrastructure, carts, audio, video
[1:14:00] components, and projector components. Focus on some minor security enhancements, ensuring that we have
[1:14:08] the proper cameras and the halo sensors in our washrooms to provide a sense of safety for our
[1:14:13] guests and our staff. The furniture piece, which I alluded to earlier, this was a great benefit
[1:14:20] to us because it allowed us to fully furnish the building and taking into account that
[1:14:28] should anything happen, because we know this is a temporary branch, the furniture could be relocated
[1:14:33] and either used or housed as we built the permanent branch. The pieces that were picked out were
[1:14:40] selected with our entire team, including our partnership with the Indigenous Relations Team
[1:14:46] to ensure that they provided the proper feel and the proper
[1:14:52] yeah, feels a good word, making sure that we hit the mark as it related to that. And we talked about
[1:15:00] But in the board meeting on some of those components, like the central seating that will be in the
[1:15:05] same colors as a traditional medicine wheel, which was pretty fantastic.
[1:15:10] The furniture also allows us to turn some programming inward. With the addition of the budget, we
[1:15:17] can now facilitate up to 75 guests within the main area of the branch for programming
[1:15:25] events, and without too much heavy lifting by utilizing just moving components and staging
[1:15:31] some chairs and reorientating that circular bench system that we've purchased.
[1:15:38] As well, we've also been able to capture some interactive digital signage and equipment with
[1:15:42] those community funds, which will be integral to ensuring that we're kept modern and up
[1:15:49] to date, and we can deliver some of the shared programming options that are out there
[1:15:54] now as it relates to digital experiences.
[1:15:59] The Indigenous Relations Division is, and perhaps Luke or Travis, who are on the line
[1:16:04] might be able to speak to this in a moment, but I know they're working with a local Indigenous
[1:16:08] artist to really accent. As we talked about walking into that branch, one of the first
[1:16:14] things that was presented to us was a proposal on having some Indigenous art as soon as
[1:16:18] you walk in and making sure that's a large component throughout the entire facility,
[1:16:23] and that work is underway, and we're trying to facilitate any needs as it relates to the
[1:16:31] walls being prepped and ready, or the infrastructure being in the ceilings in order for things
[1:16:35] to be hung. It should add a great sense of the Indigenous focus that we're trying
[1:16:42] to drive into this exciting concept, and lastly, well, actually that was it. I've
[1:16:50] already talked about the Hamilton Community Fund, so everything's on track, everyone's
[1:16:54] working hard, everybody's working together. We're driving a project that we're definitely
[1:17:02] thrilled to be this close to seeing some doors open in six to eight weeks, and I'm
[1:17:11] happy to answer any questions or feedback.
[1:17:14] Thank you Chad. That's a lot of great news. I'm very happy about the quick opening, anticipated
[1:17:22] opening. I'm thrilled about the anticipated 61 hours of opening every week, especially
[1:17:29] for Sunday opening, which is of great concern to so many of our members, and even more
[1:17:35] so with what we can call a destination branch. Dana, do you have something to say?
[1:17:51] Just really picking up on that, that whole focus of it really being a destination branch,
[1:17:55] I think reminding ourselves of that really sort of informs a lot of the thinking around,
[1:18:02] for example, the importance of Sunday openings. I go back to the earlier presentation where
[1:18:06] it talked about scheduled or non-scheduled and the like, so when you have those
[1:18:09] spontaneous, yeah, I think that's tremendous. I just wanted to thank Nick, I wanted to
[1:18:13] pick up on that. If I could add one other component, and it's more an administrative
[1:18:18] component, but an important one because it's a milestone as it relates to our
[1:18:22] partnership with the city, the use agreement is in our hands and being
[1:18:27] reviewed for execution. So it's that piece of paper that speaks to being an official,
[1:18:34] shared space and our partners at the city have been extremely helpful and working
[1:18:41] with a sense of urgency that we were really hoping for at the onset of this
[1:18:44] project, and I'm grateful for the entire project and all of the partnerships
[1:18:49] across the board. It's getting real, that's good. Any other questions or
[1:18:55] comments? Seeing none, thank you Chad. Moving on to 7.1 Discovery Center
[1:19:02] studies subcontractor update, and for this we turn to Cindy again. Thank you
[1:19:08] Board Chair, and this was an update provided earlier and already was noted
[1:19:15] during the presentation. So part of this contract, Lord Cultural Resources hired
[1:19:23] a subcontractor to do schematic design work, which was Brooke McRoy. In April
[1:19:30] they suddenly ceased operations, and as a result we had to pivot and look at
[1:19:36] alternatives. So they recommended DP AI led by David Premi and his architectural
[1:19:44] team. It is Hamilton based firm, they've done a lot of cultural and
[1:19:49] library work in their career, and have recently done work with the art gallery
[1:19:55] of Hamilton. The internal Hamilton public library team as well in working with
[1:20:02] the Indigenous Relations Division has reviewed their credentials and
[1:20:06] experience, and also noted that it does not impact budget, it does not
[1:20:13] influence future work on the site. It is just limited to this study, and with us
[1:20:22] making the decision we'll have little impact on the timeline. So we are moving
[1:20:27] forward and already have seen some of the very early renderings carried out
[1:20:33] by DP AI. Any questions?
[1:20:40] We at the library have a long-standing working relationship with DP AI. They
[1:20:47] did the renovations here at Central. I remember that being a positive working
[1:20:52] relationship. So that's good news. They were able to step in. Any
[1:21:08] other questions or comments? Seeing none, thank you. Correspondence none. Moving on
[1:21:15] to new business 9.1 study engagement conclusion, and again we turn to
[1:21:21] the next slide. Yes, it's just a memo that highlights what was presented earlier,
[1:21:27] and the focus was the continuation and conclusion of the engagement work
[1:21:33] that involved the Indigenous First Nations listening circles, and the
[1:21:38] interested parties survey. I do want to highlight that though this part of the
[1:21:44] engagement is done, the learning and listening phase, so it influences all
[1:21:47] the other work that you've seen so far. The engagement is still ongoing with
[1:21:52] the Hamilton Public Library team with the Indigenous Relations Division. So
[1:21:57] that's always ongoing and never ends, and we also try to provide updates
[1:22:03] throughout this process. That's really part of the engagement as well as
[1:22:06] informed. So I just want to make a note of that, but for the purpose of
[1:22:11] moving on to the other parts of the study, that concludes the work with that
[1:22:19] and highlights the engagement work there. Any questions? Any questions for Cindy?
[1:22:28] Do we need a motion for this? Yes. Do I have a first or yes? Dana, seconded by Lin.
[1:22:37] All those in favor of receiving the study engagement conclusion, so carried.
[1:22:44] Moving on to 9.2 visitor experience strategy. Do I have a mover for this?
[1:22:49] Dana, seconded by Lin. And again, we turn to Cindy. Thank you. And it's a
[1:22:57] highlight of what was presented earlier, and if there's any additional questions
[1:23:02] happen to answer or pass on along to cultural resources. Again, there's a
[1:23:10] fair bit of overlap from what was already presented at the last meeting, so I
[1:23:15] think we're all good. All those, I'll call it to a vote. All those in favor
[1:23:19] of receiving the visitor experience strategy. So carried. Private and
[1:23:25] confidential. None. Date of next meeting, September 23rd, 2026. Anything else? Nothing?
[1:23:33] So I need someone to move to adjourn. Hi, Lin. Hi, Dana. All right. Thank you,
[1:23:41] everyone, for coming and presenting and listening. We need so much of this
[1:23:48] engagement for this location. Thank you. Good night.