Latest renderings of downtown branch released: Saskatoon Public Library

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More than a year after the long-awaited, often-maligned downtown library project was paused, a new design has been unveiled and construction tendering has surpassed the halfway point, Saskatoon Public Library officials say.

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The benchmarks, including artist renderings that give the public its first look at the redesign, represent a major step forward in what library CEO and director of libraries Carol Shepstone called a “transformative project.”

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According to SPL, the budget remains $134 million. The four-floor facility will be spread across 124,860 square feet.

The original proposal was for 149,000 square feet, but that was scaled back to around 136,000 square feet after city council five years ago rejected the library board’s borrowing request, settling on a lower amount.

“We’re thrilled to share the results of this successful redesign project with our community,” Shepstone said.

“Saskatoon’s new central library will be a truly transformative project for our city, and I’m proud that the project team has been able to significantly reduce costs while maintaining the project’s original vision of honouring Indigenous perspectives and providing a vibrant hub for learning and entertainment in the heart of downtown.”

According to SPL, construction tendering is 60 per cent complete, and each of “the tenders awarded have been at or below the budget allocation for each package.” That indicates “that the cost savings estimated during the redesign have been realized to date.”

SPL said a final budget update will come in the spring when construction tendering is 100 per cent complete.

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Ground was broken this past June at the parcel of land at 321 Second Ave. N., which will be the site of the new building. Work at the site was meant to start in the summer of 2023, but the library’s board was forced to pause the project for a redesign as inflation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic made the previous design impossible to construct within the $134 million budget.

The Second Avenue site previously housed businesses including a gas station and a dry cleaner, which has made it necessary to remove potentially contaminated soil to prepare for construction. The Patricia Hotel and bar was also previously on the site.

SPL has been planning since 2009 to move away from the six-decades-old Frances Morrison Central Library building on 23rd Street East. The current main branch is approximately 78,000 square feet.

The updated design is the result of what SPL calls a “successful redesign process to reduce construction costs.”

According to SPL, the new central library branch is on track to open to the public in 2027.

SPL says the new central library “will enhance the livability of Saskatoon by making possible a wide range of innovative learning and entertainment options for residents of all ages, generating positive social and economic impacts.”

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The new design, SPL added, “inspires community engagement and civic pride, creating welcoming and essential social infrastructure that contributes to downtown revitalization.”

Beth Cote, who at the time of the project’s groundbreaking was serving as SPL interim CEO and director of libraries, said then that library officials were confident things would move forward smoothly after working with architects, trades and other design professionals on “value engineering” to re-scope the project.

In June, Côté said the redesigned project “will not be exactly the same” as the artist’s renderings presented to the public in 2022, but will still feature a “beautiful, sloping” exterior meant to evoke “a lighted tipi off in the distance of the Prairies.” She said updated artist renderings are expected to be unveiled this fall.

The redesign was focused on maintaining square footage for public use, Côté said, noting that employee spaces were downsized, and some functions will be relocated to other sites in the city.

There was also a “re-thinking of some of the adjacencies” in the previous design in order to find more efficient ways to use available space, Côté added.

— With Saskatoon StarPhoenix files from Bryn Levy

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