Funding approval for central library delayed

Funding approval for Ottawa's new central library will be delayed bya few more months while the federal government finalizesLibrary and Archives Canada's partnership with the city.

City staff weresupposed to develop a funding strategy for the project and report back to council by June, but now that won't happen until the end of the summerat the earliest.

"The City and Library staff have been advised that the necessary project approvals and authorities from various departments and agencies in the Government of Canada are still under active consideration," Steve Willis, the city's general manager for planning, wrote in a memo sent to council Wednesday afternoon.

• Council approves new central library site
• The library location debate we didn't have
• Library and Archives elated about prospective library move

In February, council approved a plan for a 216,000-square-foot complex that the Ottawa Public Library would share with the federal archives.

City's share $99M

The super-library would be located at thecity-owned land at 557 Wellington St., on the eastern edge ofLeBretonFlats andcost about $168 million to build. The plan is for the city to pay $99 million for 133,000 square feet of space. The Federal government would contribute $69 million.

However, the federal government hasn't finalized its funding for its share of the project, according to the memo.

"As City and Library processes are approvals are dependent on federal government approvals, staff are not able to proceed with a report at this time," Willis wrote in the memo.

There is no new timeline for the funding report, although council takes a summer break from early July to the end of August, so the issuecannot be dealt with until then.

Parking at the new library is not included in the cost estimates of $168 million. City staff weresupposed to undertake a detailed study into the parking requirement and report back to the public library board and council by March.

There has been no parking report to date.