MPL- Bruce Street

Milton Public Library's Bruce Street location is slated to close.  For those that don't know, it's the current central branch for the library, and it's due to close a year from now when the new library/visual arts centre/ theater is complete.  The building itself is located just off Ontario St, behind the Seniors apartments, and has been a part of Milton for... as long as I can remember.  Before it was a library, it was a school known as Bruce Street school, a fact attested to by the prescence of the bell out front.

I'm a total sentimentalist.  It's the library where I enjoyed book clubs over the summer when I was  younger, and a place where I can still gladly disappear in for an hour or so.  But I see why we need a new central branch.  We need it to reunite all facilities under one location- staff and services, and the chance to enlarge the collections, as well as provide bigger facilities for a growing population... all of those factors can't be denied.

But taking into account the growing population I think Milton can support three branches.  Follow my logic for a moment. The town will grow south to Britannia, to use the Beatty Branch, and the new main library will serve as the hub for all branches.  But what will all the folks who live downtown do? What will the people who live in the seniors apartments along Milside, and further west of Bronte do? What about those who live on Bronte? I know the answer to that will be drive or take the bus.  But what about people who  rely mostly on walking to get around? What about people who can't afford to take a car, or even bus fare.  Do they have to go without library facilities? I don't think that's fair.

I've been told by the Head Librarian the decision to close the facility has been in the works for over a decade.  And I wonder at the fact, that nobody in that time has ever looked at the officials plans and said: fine- build a beautiful new central library in the east end- but we're going to build more subdivisons in the west end, what are they going to use?? Why not keep the Bruce Street location open for them?

To be fair there are some good ideas being discussed for the building following its closure.  The region is talking about re-locating the seniors centre over there, after the lease expires next year.  Another purpose is a youth centre.  I'd favour the youth centre, or some kind of mixed use with a small resource or library component.

Despite the possibilities for the building, I think it's wrong to entirely discount the possibility of keeping it as an extra branch whatever its size.  Whatever its purpose, the building could be a centrepice for the area.