John Arendt
The new Summerland library branch is scheduled to open in August this year as crews continue to work on the construction of the facility.
Marla O’Brien, public relations and fundraising manager with the Okanagan Regional Library, said the work on the building is progressing on schedule. Once the building is completed, the library will move its materials from the existing building on Wharton Street to the new building.
The new building has received support from the Friends of the Summerland Library as well as support through individual bequests.
The new branch, on Main Street, has a size of 743 square metres, more than twice the size of the existing library branch. The present branch is 316 square metres. It was built in 1981 and the need for a larger facility has been discussed for many years.
The Okanagan Regional Library is paying the costs of the new library. The budget for the building was set at $3.2 million, including land.