Once a site has been selected for the new Meaford Library - the building project will be moving forward rapidly.

The Meaford Express sat down last week with members of the Meaford Public Library Board to discuss the new library project.

Board members Michael Richardson, Anne Anderson and Fred Kennedy told The Express the new library project is on the launch pad and ready to take off - once a site for the new facility has been selected.

"We're all set to go the minute the site is identified," said Board member Michael Richardson. "The municipality is currently doing a cost analysis of the alternatives," he explained.

The Library Board and the municipality have identified three priority potential sites for the new library: the Meaford Harbour area, the Market Square and land adjacent to the Meaford Arena (the Board and the municipality are actually considering two sites at the arena - the vacant parking lot land next to the arena and the land between the arena and Bobi's Playschool that currently has a small Public Works Department garage on it).

The Library Board is currently in the process of identifying a chair for a fundraising committee to lead the process of raising money for the project. The fundraising campaign can't begin until a chair is selected and a site for the new facility is selected.

Board members insisted during the interview that the new Library project will not use municipal tax dollars to be built.

Kennedy said he expects the project to follow the path of the Museum's vestibule project or the new Firehall. Both were constructed using a combination of money raised from the community, federal/provincial grants and other revenues. Neither of those projects affected the operating budget of the municipality.

"That's our plan as well," said Kennedy.

Richardson said he expects the fundraising campaign to be very successful.

"I don't anticipate much difficulty with this at all. There are so many different avenues for support," said Richardson, adding that expects a lot of support from the community for the project.

Over the past several weeks the library has been seeking input from patrons about what they would like to see a new library facility look like.

"We've received a tremendous amount of support," said Anderson. "People are saying they want they new library to have a very airy feel with lots of natural light. They're looking for an open concept - all on one floor of course," she said.

Other comments repeated in the survey results included: separate areas for teens, computers and a children's story area and meeting space - both large and small.

"On the outside they want it to fit in with the surroundings. If it's at the harbour they like a Cape Code kind of feeling, if it's downtown they like the classic brick work," said Anderson. "They're looking for benches, gardens and places where you can sit down and read," she said.

Anderson also said the public supports the library pursuing green/environmentally friendly design concepts during the project. Anderson also said a number of people have commented on the new library being a place for local youth to visit for things to do.

"Library's are becoming much more social. We keep hearing the importance of having a place for teens to come where it's safe and they can meet and chat with their friends and do their homework," she said.

The Library Board has been discussing preliminary design concepts, but the design of the new facility depends entirely on the location. A library at the harbour would look different than a library next to the arena. The library will be fully accessible when it is completed.

A new library is a necessity for the Municipality of Meaford. The library has essentially outgrown the current building. The existing facility has several structural deficiencies, limited space and is a multi-floored building that is not accessible. Circulation at the Meaford Library has been growing every year, but the library's collection hasn't been able to keep up because of the limited space in the current building.