Quite the set back to plans for a new library in Meaford.
Library Board Chair Michael Richardson says their application for government funding has been rejected.
However, he wants residents to know that Meaford will still be getting a brand new library – the only question is when.
The project is tentatively priced around 4 million dollars.
Richardson says they’d been hoping to receive 1.3 million dollars from both the federal and provincial governments and would fundraise the final 1.3 million.
Under that plan they believed the new library would be complete in 2 years, but if they have to fundraise the entire amount it will take between 6 and 9 years.
Richardson says the library board is still 100 per cent behind the project and plans to launch a major fundraising campaign shortly.
There are some fundraising events already underway, including ticket sales for a dinner at Coffin Ridge Winery in June and a quilt raffle in October.
The new library is slated to be built on the Market Square and will be 12 to 14 thousand square feet, up from the current 7 thousand.
Richardson says it will be completely accessible, with lower stacks that will be set further apart, ahead of a provincial accessibility mandate coming in 2020.
In the meantime, Richardson says the state of the current library building on Trowbridge St. West is a major concern.
He says it has structural problems that need to be addressed and municipal workers are on the roof daily to check the drainage system after it was overwhelmed by the tornado last August and the library was flooded.
Richardson says they are crossing their fingers that they will be able to stay in the current building until a new library is ready – even if that is up to 10 years away.