Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed news that Mayo County Council intends to provide a new library for Westport within the next four years. Cllr Martin recently highlighted the need for a new library for the town given the limited capacity and space of the current 35-year-old building.
Mayo County Council has submitted to the Department of the Environment its Library Project Priorities for the coming five years and is proposing new library buildings for Swinford, Crossmolina and Westport along with a brand new library building for Newport.
Mayo County Council has detailed its library priorities to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government stating that they will be seeking funding for new buildings.
Third on the list of priorities is the plan to provide a new 900 sq metre library for the Westport to be completed by 2011 at a cost of €2.7 million. The proposed library would be the same size as Ballina and Castlebar libraries and will provide a state-of-the-art library service for the south west Mayo region.
The library is planned to be part of the one-stop-shop of Civic Offices for Westport on the site of the Convent grounds in Westport. Mayo County Council expects to provide 20% of the capital costs of the new building which would be five times the size of the current library in Westport.
However as the council have listed Westport as its third priority behind new buildings for Swinford and Crossmolina, Westport will have to wait its turn. Mayo County Council expect work to commence on the new library in 2010 to be completed by 2011.
"There has long been a consensus, in the council chamber and in the town, that the library building is too small to meet the needs of the growing population in the Westport. Not only is it an unattractive building but it is far too small to meet the demands placed on it. We need a new library the size of Castlebar's with study areas, a dedicated local history section, a children's area and an exhibition space in addition to a increased shelf space for books, CDs, DVDs and digital media.
"We will also have the opportunity of displaying the town's art collection which has been built up over the years by the council acquiring pieces from local and visiting artists and a new library and civic offices would be the ideal venue to put this art collection on display.
"I will continue to lobby for a new library for Westport and I will be asking that Westport Town Council establish a committee to oversee this proposal for a new building to keep the pressure up on the County Council and the Department to deliver on Westport's need for a new library."
| Priority | Libra,y name! Location | Size in Sq m | Total Estimated Cost (€) | Part of | Due to | Due to finish | Estimate ~ local authority contribution (€) |
| 1 | Swinford | 405sq mt | €1.8m | y | 2008 | 2010 / | 20% |
| 2 | Crossmolina | 500sq | €2m | n | 2009 | 2011 | 20% |
| 3 | Westport | 900 | €2.7m | y | 2010 | 2011 | 20% |
| 4 | Newport | 200sq m | €lm | n | 2009 | 2010 | 20% |
LIBRARY PROJECT PRIORITY FORM
Signed:_ Date:
City/County Manager or Director of Service
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