Increased circulation at the Waterdown branch of the Hamilton Public Library since 2008 has created more emphasis on the community’s need for a new facility. To discuss the Hamilton Public Library Board’s projected plans for a large, modern and fully accessible library, public consultation meetings are slated to take place this month, where HPL board members will be on hand to answer any questions and garner feedback on its recommended option.
According to HPL’s chief librarian, Ken Roberts, Waterdown’s current library site is too small to cater to the growing community’s needs. Also, under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, costly improvement are required to bring the Mill Street South facility into compliance with the legislation.
Following months of research, the HPL board is recommending that a new 15,000- to 18,000-square-foot building be constructed at Flamborough’s former Town Hall site, the current Municipal Centre on Dundas Street. The board’s preferred option would see the present building demolished and  replaced by a one-storey  edifice with ample parking and modern technologies to better serve Waterdown and nearby communities.
The existing 3,400-square-foot, two-storey Mill St. library cannot be modified to meet expected AODA  requirements  or current code requirements for public libraries. Ideally, the new facility would boast 17,000 square feet of library space with an additional 1,000 square feet set aside for community and municipal services, including the Flamborough Archives and Flamborough Information and Community Services (FICS).
The HPL hopes to partner with the City of Hamilton to develop the new complex. In doing so, Roberts explained that the HPL board and the city would share the costs associated with the construction of fully accessible amenities and maintaining the premises. This option, he noted, would also allow the library board to fund more services instead of investing in the building’s support services. “By constructing a single-floor facility, the library would be avoiding what architects call non-programmable space,” including stairwells and elevators, said Roberts. “All that space costs money to construct.”
Roberts encourages residents to take a look at Hamilton’s Turner Park branch’s modern facility and its design efficiencies.
Last year, Waterdown recorded a circulation of 155,337, a 17.9 per cent increase from the previous year. Circulation numbers also rose at other Flamborough branches, including Carlisle, Freelton, Lynden, Millgrove and Rockton. Roberts projects circulation numbers to be in the 300,000 range once the new Waterdown facility opens its doors.
Public meetings to present the HPL board’s recommendation for the new site are slated to take place at the Municipal Services Centre (163 Dundas St. E.) on Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 2-4 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. Another meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 6-8 p.m. at the same facility.
Attendees will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal and voice any concerns with HPL staff.  
Roberts believes the preferred option for the new library in Waterdown will be well received by the community and that the HPL board-approved recommendation will serve local residents well.
“I certainly think people want a new library in the community. If this doesn’t work as a location...I don’t know what we will do,” he said, noting the board has studied all site options exhaustively.
“(The board) doesn’t know of any other alternative that is workable.”
Additional information on the proposed library plans for Waterdown will be made available to the public by the end of the week on the Hamilton Public Library website, www.myhamilton.ca/public-library.