Denise Corey already knows which part of the new library in Cumberland County will be her favourite.
“The book nook is going to be my favourite place,” the chief librarian said. “There’s a big window in the corner with the sunlight streaming in a view overlooking the Pugwash River. Could there be a better place to relax and read a book?”
Corey recently enjoyed a sneak peek of the new $2.198-million library under construction in the village and is so excited to see the project that began earlier this year is rapidly taking shape.
“Excited would be an understatement. We can’t wait to get in there and begin serving people in the Pugwash are out of our new home,” Corey said.
Project manager Roger MacIsaac said the library is nearing completion and despite some hiccups caused by post-tropical storm Fiona in September he expects the building to be completed within the next few weeks.
“Things are progressing in a timely fashion. The drywall has been completed and the painters have begun their work and the millwork is set to arrive and will be installed. About 70 percent of our furniture has arrived and in three weeks we’ll be putting the flooring down,” MacIsaac said. “We’re hoping we’ll be done by mid-December.”
As it prepares to move into the new building, Corey said the existing Pugwash library will close its doors on the afternoon of Dec. 3 with hopes to reopen in its new home in late January or early February.
While the library will be closed, Corey said people can still access books through borrow by mail and when the new library opens there will be a mostly new collection there.
Anyone with questions can call the library at 902-667-2549.
Corey said she can’t get over the level of support in the community for the new library.
“The support we’ve seen has been nothing short of wonderful,” Corey said. “In just a few months, the community fundraised $600,000. That speaks volumes about the level of support in the community. People really showed their support for this project and stepped up with donations to help make it a reality.”
Corey expects big things in the future for the library in Pugwash because it provides so many opportunities that have been limited by space in the existing building. For example, she said, the book club won’t have to be held after-hours because there was no way to bring 12 people into the library with it open.
Also, if the new library in Tatamagouche is any indication, she expects a huge increase in circulation. She said the new library in Tatamagouche saw more than a 100 percent increase in circulation activity and she expects that figure to be repeated in Pugwash.
Work on the 3,700-square-foot building began earlier this year when the Municipality of Cumberland announced plans to build the library that will replace the existing facility located in the former Pugwash train station since 1988.
Iron Maple Constructors and sub-contractors have been working since then to build the building.