A small group gathered at the Castlegar and District Public Library on Friday morning was expecting an upbeat announcement, and was not disappointed.
Upcoming improvements to the library, valued at more than $27,000 were officially announced by federal Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification Lynne Yelich.
The funding, under the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund, is for the City of Castlegar to make upgrades to the library’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. As a result, as described in a related press release, "the library will benefit from modern, reliable components that help improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption, and its patrons will benefit from a controlled and comfortable environment."
The funding formula included equal amounts of $6,750 put forth by the City of Castlegar and the Columbia Basin Trust, and the combined amount was matched by the federal government.
Local officials indicated that the tendering process for the work was closing as of Friday, and that the successful bidder(s) would likely be revealed as of Nov. 19.