Columnists
The Drama of Fundraising
County council has approved a $2.7 million project to renovate and expand the Picton branch Library—but getting there was not without its drama.
The Library—a County-owned building operated by a not for profit corporation of which council appoints the directors—had last been before Council in September, 2019. That meeting did not go well for the Library. Its renovation and renewal project, estimated to cost around $2 million, had ended up coming in at $2.7 million after tenders were solicited based on local resident architect Brian Clark’s plans. Council was unsympathetic to contributing more than the $320,000 it had committed to the project in its two previous capital budgets, and was unwilling to let construction proceed when the Library fundraising was still over a million dollars short of meeting the full project cost.
Council told the Library to scale its project back to the $2 million level and come back once it had all the money in hand and a new plan.
Flash forward to the fall of 2020. The Library was in a pickle. As the plans were conceived, washrooms and elevators had to be added, a decent public meeting space had to be added to the existing building. The only adjacent space to add on to the building was on a steep edge. Footings had to be impaled into unstable soil, driving up the costs. It was therefore hard, if not impossible, to cut back on the budget without compromising the integrity of the project.
Moreover, the fundraising hadn’t yet met its target, and the low bidder on the project, Belleville’s K. Knudsen Construction Ltd, while it had already extended the period for which it would hold its 2019 tender price, was unwilling to extend it beyond the end of November. Going to tender again would inevitably increase the project costs. The Library was faced with the prospect of going to council cap in hand, or delaying the project yet again.
Since the Library had been to council in 2019, its public fundraising had increased from about $800,000 to about $1.1 million. Legislated community development charges of $320,000, accruing to the Library’s benefit, left the project funding—including the County’s contribution, at about $1.9 million— still about $800,000 short of being able to meet the tendered price.
But the difference has been made up. One donor has written a pledge for a gift of $100,000. Another donor has pledged up to $100,000 to match fresh donations of the same amount, which the Library expects to fulfil by the end of the year, therefore adding $200,000 to the kitty. (A previous matching campaign in the same amount has been successful). And local entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Hymus has stepped in to guarantee the making up of any shortfall, up to $479,000. And hey presto, thus the fundraising total is met.
The Library’s presentation to council on November 10 became a bit of a lovefest. Councillors fell over themselves with praise for the role the Library plays in the community; and council unanimously gave its permission for acceptance of the Knudsen bid, with construction to start in the spring of 2021.
After Councillor Stewart Bailey raised the spectre of the Royal Ontario Museum’s donor whose pledge evaporated after a facility was publicly named for him, Mayor Steve Ferguson expressly stated that Michael Hymus’ word (given through his accountant, Library board treasurer Sandy Murray) was good enough for him: no letter of credit or payment into trust required. Similarly, council accepted the Library’s assurance that the $100,000 pledge and the $100,000 match donation would be met and honoured.
The one sour note was struck by Councillor Andeas Bolick, who asked why the Library hadn’t abided by council’s 2019 dictum to develop a $2 million project rather than a $2.7 million project. The rest of council considered the point moot, as the full sum had been raised.
Before the council meeting, questions about the Library had been floating in the ether. Did the Library need an expansion when the world is going digital? Wouldn’t the renovation of the Picton branch increase the likelihood that other branches would be neglected or closed? Was the Picton branch expansion likely to become a white elephant trophy building?
The Library had its answers to those questions at the ready, but didn’t have to employ them at the council meeting. Digital service is a key component of the Library service. Digital books and other products are widely available. The Library offers tech training. People join the Library to use its free computers. Libraries are increasingly becoming hubs where people of like mind pursue common interests. For example, a regular MahJong group meets among the stacks in the Wellington branch. The Library’s commitment to maintain all its branches is written into its strategic plan. Users of the other branches support the Picton branch renewal. And the building is taking full advantage of the challenging space it has to work with, knowing this will be the only renovation it can manage.
Having secured its building project, the Library now faces a new challenge. Council has decided the Holding Court tribute to Sir John A. Macdonald will remain in front of the Library. How can the story the sculpture tells be put in a context that its detractors might grudgingly accept? That’s a two-pipe problem that may make completing the renovation project seem like easy work.
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