SOUTH LANCASTER, Ontario – At their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 16 the United Counties of SD&G Council approved funding for a feasibility study of the SDG Library’s South Lancaster branch.
Karen Franklin, Director of Library Services requested $20,000 to update a feasibility study that was done in 2003, which at that time already noted that the library was in cramped quarters.
Franklin told Council that at 959 sq. ft., the South Lancaster Library was the smallest branch in the SDG Library system.
“On a good day, we struggle to meet the requirements from a resource branch compared to our smaller neighbourhood branches,” she said. “We struggle even more during this pandemic because our services here have had to be more limited than at any of our other resource branches and even from any of our other branches.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not more than five people, including staff, are allowed inside the branch at any given time. This has made it difficult for the branch to efficiently serve patrons and has made hosting events almost impossible.
The building and the South Lancaster Library Branch are both nearly a century old if not more.
“The library would really like to see this go ahead. Library service delivery would be immeasurably enhanced to all of its patrons and not just South Glengarry,” Franklin said.
County Councillors expressed their interest in proceeding with the study, but expressed their concern about how to solve the issue of limited space.
“I had the pleasure of driving through South Lancaster on Saturday and took note of the building. It is a great heritage building,” said Councillor Steven Byvelds, Mayor of South Dundas. “It may tell you that this building is not longer suitable for a library in this day and age. If this is going to be your resource branch, you might be challenged for space on that footprint.”
Councillor Tony Fraser, who sits on the SDG Library Board, stated that he did not want to see the branch go away.
“I’m not looking for the loss of a branch, I’m looking for an improvement,” he said.
Council approved Franklin’s request for $20,000 from the provincially provided “Safe Restart” COVID-19 reserve fund for an Architectural Evaluation and Feasibility study of the South Lancaster Library branch.
