Yorkton city council made a decision regarding the Yorkton Public Library.
The city decided not to rescind the sale of the property (93 Broadway Street West), however, council has instructed administration to find an alternative location to relocate the library.
Originally, the library was going to move to the second level of the Gallagher Centre, which was met by push-back from the public.
Mayor Mitch Hippsley notes that council decided to rescind the motion to relocate the library to the Gallagher Centre, due to the location being too small to fit its needs.
Hippsley adds that while council has to look at the big picture for the future of Yorkton, they also recognize the importance of a library based on the feedback council received.
However, not everyone is satisfied with council’s decision.
The Chamber of Commerce, while happy about the sale of the building proceeding, is disappointed with council’s decision to rescind the relocation to the Gallagher Centre.
President Vanessa Andres says the decision means the city will lose the 1.5-million dollars from the sale of the property to try to find and purchase a new property, while also losing additional money in property taxes.
She adds that the search for a new location could see the city lose its library services indefinitely.
Mayor Hippsley responded by saying if the library closed, it could be for 3-6 months, ideally less than that while a new location comes available and is fitted for the library.
The Chamber also criticized the handling of the sale of the library’s property.
Under the Cities Act, during the sale of a city property, the name of the purchaser must remain confidential.
In a release last week, the Chamber brought to light that the name of the purchaser was leaked, and the owner had received threats to their personal safety.
Mayor Hippsley noted he and city staff had also received threats and he condemned those people calling it abusive, adding that enough is enough.
