The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4 ·The IFP· Halton Hills ·Thursday, August 9, 2012 New Georgetown library taking shape By CYNTHIA GAMBLE Staff Writer Progress on the Georgetown library/Halton Hills Cultural Centre expansion and renovation is on schedule and moving swiftly towards its December completion date. An enthusiastic chief librarian Jane Diamanti and Cultural Centre supervisor Jamie Smith took The Independent & Free Press on a tour recently, showing off its multilevelled wide open interior space at the corner of Market and Church Sts. that will soon become a landmark building in Georgetown. It's slated to re-open to the public in January 2013. The $11.3 million library will be expanded to almost three times its original size-- 34,400 sq. ft.-- that Diamanti says will be more appropriate for a community of this size. Plus, the Cultural Centre and Gallery will receive substantial upgrades worth $1.9 million. The total square footage for the Library and Cultural Centre will be 51,000 sq. ft. "It's a much more complex building. There are many layers in the building, and part of it is because we had to deal with an existing structure, which in itself was quite complex," says Diamanti, adding the design has incorporated accessibility including strategically-placed elevators, properlysized and equipped washrooms and turning radii around chairs and shelving. "Of course, we (the library) are also embracing the theatre, so it's not a straight rectangle; more like a horseshoe shape. So you'll see that the spaces are very interesting and quite different from a box, which, to my mind, makes it far more charming," she says. Chamberlain Architect Services has used the historic church, which is the Gallery space, as the centrepiece, integrating its Old World design into a contemporary design that blends in both scale and style with the surrounding residential homes. The cement bunker staircase/ ramp entrance on Church St. has been removed and replaced with a visually stunning (outside and inside) atrium with street-level access. Outside, a tall old-growth tree will shade a walled courtyard with benches, which will serve as an outdoor reading area as well as for outdoor programming. The building itself will be "sophisticated" and "green" with the Town striving to achieve a silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standard. That includes a green roof deck, geothermal heating and cool- space. For example, performers will also be ing, low flow water fixtures and daylight sen- able to access the front and back of the theatre sor lighting. Just recently the new Acton Li- through a side hallway, rather than through brary, also designed by Chamberlain Architect the Library. Theatre sets will arrive through Services, attained a gold LEED certification. a new loading bay with a driveway accessed Once inside the atrium, visitors have a from Main St. Dressing rooms, including an choice of using the staircase or the elevator additional one, are getting a fair amount work (accessible for done on them as well, To view a photo gallery visit wheelchairs and Smith says. www.theifp.ca and click on `photos' moms with strollThe Cultural Centre ers) to head to the and Library has inteupper floor that's shared by the Library and grated its Box Office and Main Circulation Cultural Centre. Desk with library staff now selling tickets. The The atrium, with its mezzanine will provide library will also offer self-check-outs. a wide-open mingling space during theatre inPassing through the circulation area, patermissions and could also serve as an area trons enter the children services area, flooded for staging events and programs. It will also with light due to the floor-to-ceiling windows. relieve the people congestion that happened The area will suit the needs of ages from inwhen programs and performances over- fants to tweens, with colourful contemporary lapped. Larger washrooms and a theatre bar colours of purple, lime, orange and cherry and are on the bottom level of the atrium space. child-sized seating. At one end, will be an enThe Gallery, because of its heritage fea- closed sound-proof space for programming tures, remains relatively the same. for early readers, while at the other end will The John Elliott Theatre will get two sets of be the tween space including stations with double doors to allow better patron flow and educational games and sprawl chairs. to prevent light flooding into the theatre, says Down a grand staircase (or elevator) is the Smith. Inside the theatre, there will be new large wrap-around adult space, enclosed in seats, stage surface and new stage rigging as glass teen space, double the number of comthe result of Trillium Community Capital Fund puter stations, and local history study area grants obtained by the Town and Georgetown with archives. Also on this level are small ofLittle Theatre. fices for local community groups and a large Smith says the theatre is on the same foot- community room. print, with a bit more back space and wing "I see the library as a place for collabora- Above: Chief librarian Jane Diamanti in the west facing area of the library. Below left: The future children services area. Photos by Ted Brown tion and creation where people can come together and work on projects together, use the resources of the library," says Diamanti. "Books will always be there ... but we'll have the electronics (such as computers, ereaders) and we'll help people manage the new technology. ... It really will be a communty hub." Another half level down is the seniors area with comfortable seating and a three-sided fireplace. The area also includes a beverage station for patrons. There are also quiet study rooms and a listening room for people who want to watch a video or listen to music. On the top and middle levels are the administrative offices, lounge, plus shower, kitchenette, and roof deck with green roof for the 50plus staff members. The library gets its own loading dock for its deliveries off Market St. where the technical services staff is located. More than a year of thought has gone into the design with ongoing revisions, she adds, with visits to 19 other libraries. The staff was fully involved all the way along at a representational committee. In 2011 Halton Hills Public Library's branches saw a total of 209,000 visitors and circulated 495,874 items. Those numbers are expected to jump when the new branch opens. CHURCHES & TEMPLES GEORGETOWN CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH welcomes you! Lead Pastor: Rev. Gary vanLeeuwen Youth Pastor: Brian DeBoer Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 am & 6:00 pm www.gcrc.on.ca 11611 Trafalgar Road (north of Maple Avenue) 905-877-4322 Interim-Moderator - Rev. Wendy Lampman KNOX 116 Main St. S., Georgetown, ON PRESBYTERIAN 905-877-7585 CHURCH Chair-lift access available. God's Word for Today's World. 'Sunday's Cool' youth ministry program for ages 4 & up. www.knoxgeorgetown.ca Service Dial-in: 905-702-1629 SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES: 11:00 A.M. Congratulations! to our daughter In celebration of their love and commitment to each other Maria Fernanda Torres & Nickolaos Toris SUNDAY SERVICES · Lord's Supper 10 A.M. · Ministry Meeting 11:00 A.M. · Fellowship Lunch 12:00 P.M. · Ministry Meeting 1:00 P.M. Cassie Broadbent for graduating from CtK with Honours. Meeting In: Georgetown Seniors Centre Address: 318 Guelph Street Phone: 905-873-1005 Website: www.haltonhillsbiblechapel.com Good Luck at Niagara College Love, Mom, Dad & Jamie exchanged vows in marriage June 2, 2012 at the Greek Orthodox Church in Victoria, B.C.