TIMELINE
February 2024 Committee Meetings to begin planning 1 Million Dollar Capital Campaign. December 5th 2023 Update - Approved City Council voted 6 - 3 to move 2 million from Reserves to advance the project! November 2023 Update: After months of work behind the scenes, a design for the Brights Grove Library Expansion including a much needed Community Room, new space for Gallery in the Grove and restoration of the historic Faethorne House is complete and ready for Sarnia City Council to approve. The Brights Grove Library Committee will deliver their recommendations to council on Nov. 20th and then council will debate it during budget deliberations starting on Dec. 5th. It's our hope that the city will allocate the funding starting with the 2024 budget so that construction on the project can begin and be completed in 2025 as per the committee's recommendation. For over twenty-five years, board members from Gallery in the Grove have been advocating the City of Sarnia, for accessibility improvements to the Faethorne House. Board members further realized that this project was not just about access to the second floor. The board recognized that the library was too small and there is no public community room space in Bright's Grove. In 2017, City Council approved a consultants report recommending all three city owned library buildings be upgraded and updated. In 2019, the board of Gallery in the Grove voted to give the City of Sarnia Ten-thousand dollars to initiate drawings for a larger library which would be fully accessible, a community room and move the gallery onto the main floor of the original building. The city matched the 10k and hired Passa Architects. In May 2021, city council unnanomously approved that 100k from the federal gas tax rebate fund the city received be designated for Detailed Drawings for this project. In November 2021, council voted against adding this project to the 10 year capital plan. In May, 2022, council voted to amend the 10 year capital plan and add this project to the plan. Please button below JUST THE FACTS for additional information. Please see media reports to the right. We need your help and support. Please write a letter of support for this project and email it to: bgcommunityhub@gmail.com |