THE facade of the Bendigo Library is being pulled down.
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Exterior demolition work on the building started yesterday after the removal of internal walls, the ceiling and carpet.
Once the $9 million upgrades are complete early next year, the library will have an extra 400 square metres of floor space and an open-plan interior.
The building will extend three metres into parkland and be equipped with new technology. “The current building serviced us for nearly 30 years, and this is a major redevelopment to serve this community well into the future,” City of Greater Bendigo director of organisation support Marg Allan said.
“There are currently around 500,000 visitors there each year and our expectation is that will increase by another 50,000. “It will be used for a variety of community purposes including library services, community meetings, arts and local history, and it will have a cafe.”
About $7.5 million will be spent on the building and an additional $1 million on furniture and other components, Ms Allan said.
“Hopley Demolition is undertaking the demolition and the building contractor is Contract Control Services,” she said. “We had a commitment from them that they’ll provide opportunities for local businesses to be involved in the development.”
The external work is expected to take about two weeks and signs will be put up soon displaying details of the project.
The former Bendigo Advertiser building is being used as a temporary library during construction.