Construction of a new central library in downtown Halifax should begin within a year, Halifax Regional Municipality Mayor Peter Kelly announced yesterday.
Kelly said the municipality still needs about 10 months to approve a final design and review tenders for the facility, but shovels should be in the ground by the summer of 2010.
The mayor made the comments at a news conference held yesterday morning to unveil a formal funding plan for the new library, to be built at the corner of Queen Street and Spring Garden Road.
Representatives from all three levels of government including Kelly, Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter and federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird were on hand to announce their intention to spend up to $55 million on the state-of-the-art facility.
“This kind of project takes co-operation, and now that we have that from the province and the federal government, we can move forward,” Kelly said.
“This is a great day for this municipality.”
Infrastructure
Defence Minister Peter MacKay was also on hand yesterday to announce funding for infrastructure improvements throughout Nova Scotia, including $31.6 million for road improvements and repairs and $5.5 million for wastewater projects in Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
