Spruce Grove Votes

First, I just want to say that my family and I love the library.  We have had library cards for many years (as a matter of fact, they are up for renewal in July, so we will be back in shortly!). Based on our time spent at the library, I would agree that the facility and programs would benefit from additional capital and operational investment that would allow the library to grow as the city continues to grow.  

If elected I would apply a two-step process that would allow me to better understand the current state and future needs of the Library.  The first step would involve a document review.  The second step would be to meet with yourself, and other members of the board to discuss the Board's concerns.  

In preparation to answer your question, I decided it would be beneficial to review the documents listed below in order to gain a better understanding of the current and future needs of the library. This was meant as a precursory review to assist me in answering your question and to give me a better understanding of the library, the programs and services offered, the role it plays in the community, and the requirements that would allow the Board to adjust to current and future levels of growth. If elected, I would preform a more fulsome review of the documents listed below, as well as any other documents the Board feel would be beneficial.  

I started by read the Spruce Grove Public Library Needs Assessment and the Annual Reports. Based on these documents, I feel the Board has been able to show the value the library provides to the community.  The Annual Reports demonstrate the library has successfully grown both its traditional services of lending books, as well as increased the number of participants taking part in programs and utilizing its services. The Needs Assessment shows that without additional space and funding, the library will be unable to sustain the desired level of service as outlined in the Best Practices for Public Libraries in Alberta.  

As well, I reviewed many of the reports and plans created on behalf of the City, and I noticed that the library is mentioned by name as a partner and/or service provider in many of these plans. This includes such plans as the Culture Master Plan, Leisure Services Master Plan, Social Sustainability Plan, and PathwaysHome: Strategy to Reduce Poverty and Homelessness to name a few.  To me, this demonstrates that the library has a role to play in supporting the community and in making Spruce Grove a ‘Community of Choice’.  

I also reviewed the Recommended Corporate Plan 2019-2021, where I was happy to see that the current City Council and the Administration have recommended the approval of leasing additional space that will begin to address some of the physical space constraints the library faces. The Corporate Plan also indicates that the library has been approved to receive an increase to their operating grants over the next three years.  

The second step, should I be elected, would be to arrange meetings to discuss the Board’s concerns in greater detail, what the current and future needs are, as well as to understand the Board’s specific ask of me.  I would also request meetings to speak to existing Councillors, as I would be interested in understand their perspectives in relation to the Board’s concerns, as well as what they are hearing from community members on this issue.  

In terms of current needs, I would like to get a better understanding of what level of investment the Board feel would be required to meet the ‘Essential’ level of service for the community at its current size? What does the Board feel would be the next steps? How will the recent approval by the City to expand the library’s footprint impact the current service level the library is able to offer? Will the additional space allow the library to achieve ‘Essential’ level of service and what would be required to move towards an ‘Enhanced’ level of service? The same question would apply to the increases to the library’s operating grants over the next three years. I would like to understand how far that will go to addressing the library’s current needs.  I would also want to get a better understanding as to how these increases compare to funding of other program areas. What are the contingency plans should there be no growth?

In terms of future growth, I would like to get a better understanding of the Board’s plan to address future growth.  For example, does the Board have a road-map that breaks down the growth requirements into shorter time frames with associated costs? What would the Board required to move from a centralized location to including satellite branches?

Finally, if elected I would like to better understand the Board’s specific ask of me as Councillor.  What are the top three priorities? What are the bare minimums? Are there opportunities for additional partnerships that would be beneficial? 

As most people are aware, the resources available to City Council and the Administration are finite, and despite the substantial growth the city has experienced, there are limits as to what can be reasonably fund each year.  Many program areas are asking for additional resources in order to continue to provide services to the community.  As such, it is important to ensure that available resources are fairly distributed based on the needs of the community as well as the needs of the program area.  With the above information in hand, and understanding the existing constraints, I feel I would be be in a better position to determine how I could support Library Board in advancing their request.