UPDATE, TUESDAY, 8.50am: The Kangaroo Flat Library will move to the former Senior Citizens building in Lockwood Road by June next year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
City of Greater Bendigo council confirmed the move this morning with a $1.38 million redevelopment of the Lockwood Road site to pave the way for the library to move from its present address on High Street at Lansell Square Shopping Centre.
The new premises be 50 per cent larger than the current site and is more centrally located for Kangaroo Flat's growing community.
Council chief executive Craig Neimann said works will commence on the Lockwood Road site early next year.
"A new entrance into the building will be created, services upgraded, repairs to the existing building structure undertaken and solar panels to make the building more sustainable will be installed," he said.
"Other work to improve and beautify the exterior facade of the building, formalise car parking and landscaping will also be carried out.
"The move to Lockwood Road is an innovative and financially responsible solution for the future of the Kangaroo Flat Library. It's a strong investment in Kangaroo Flat's future that will result in a superior library that is double the size and fit for purpose.
"The City did investigate a number of buildings but ultimately decided that the under-utilised Lockwood Road building was the best option."
MONDAY: KANGAROO Flat Library may have a new home as the City of Greater Bendigo prepares to make an "important announcement" about the former Senior Citizens Building on Lockwood Road.
This was the preferred building for the library when council staff spoke to the Bendigo Advertiser in August.
The city is expected to announce its new tenant of the Senior Citizens Building on Tuesday, following discussions about the possibility of the library moving in to the space.
In August Director of Health and Wellbeing Vicky Mason told the Advertiser the city was looking at a range of sites, but the Senior Citizens Building was its preference.
The building sits about 100 metres west of Kangaroo Flat's main shopping strip.
"This looks like the most accessible, cost effective short term solution that can be delivered within current resources," Ms Mason said in August.
"The Lockwood Road site is not highly utilised currently, just some social support groups, so the Library could co-exist with existing services at the site."
The Kangaroo Flat Library is one of the busiest of Goldfields Libraries' sites, with about 1600 visitors each week.
It has operated at its present site, now Lansell Plaza, since 1979. The city's initial lease was for 35 years, with a peppercorn rent of $1 a year.
This expired in 2014. Since then the library has been operating under the same terms and conditions as the original lease.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.