VIDEO Library CEO Excited About Move to Paul Martin Building

The CEO of the Windsor Public Library says she can't wait to move into the Paul Martin building.

The City of Windsor is purchasing the landmark building from the federal government for $1 and moving the Central Library branch into the building on a temporary basis. 

"The Windsor Public Library is thrilled to be moving into that iconic, beautiful Paul Martin building," says Library CEO Kitty Pope.

The move will be made official during a news conference scheduled for 10:30 am Wednesday.

Pope also tells CTV Windsor the location is prime because it's along bus and bike routes, and very close to both the University of Windsor and St. Clair College downtown campuses.

"And guess what, coffee and books go together, and there's lots of coffee shops on Ouellette Avenue," adds Pope. 

The central branch is currently located at 850 Ouellette Ave. but the building was sold to the Downtown Mission last year for $3.6 million. The Mission will take possession of the building on June 28, and plans to complete the move by June 2020.

Pope is relieved to finally have a home for the time being. 

"Oh it's been stressful for the last couple of months because we weren't exactly sure where we were going to land," admits Pope. 

Initially, the plan was for the library to move into the new city hall as its temporary home.

Now, the Paul Martin building will act as the temporary home for the next three to five years. 

The city will spend $1.5 million and eight months to renovate the annex space at the back of the Paul Martin building to accommodate the library.

Pope hopes to open in the new location by December 2019 or January 2020.

That means at least five months without a central branch, but Pope tells CTV Windsor they have made accommodations for the interruption in service.

"We'll have FRED our bookmobile providing service. We will have computers in a small pop up library right in city hall on the main floor, and we'll be doing lots of events particularly in the community particularly in the downtown area," says Pope.

The six-storey Paul Martin building was first completed in 1934. The building's façade became damaged and the federal government restored the building, with work finishing in 2017.

Last year, the city had asked the provincial government for $20 million to renovate the building to allow for the move of the University of Windsor's law school.

But school officials decided to back away from the agreement because of the cost to renovate the building without provincial funding.