The new County Library, which was officially opened on Monday, June 17 by Minister Heather Humphreys, has been hailed as a major success and a coup for Laois.
The library took centre stage at the monthly meeting of Laois County Council last week, as Chief Executive, John Mulholland delivered the Council’s Monthly Management Report.
The all-in cost of the library including construction, fit out, shelving, furniture, PC’s and mechanical and electrical components is €7.1m including VAT.
Were the original site purchase cost to be included the figure is €7.56 million.
The spend on the library has been roundly criticised since the project started almost 10 years ago though the Council’s chief went into detail again on how it has been funded – and what it’s now valued at.
The Council received just over €3 million from the Department of Rural and Community Development for the project and €125,000 towards additional book stock.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has provided funding of €2.7 million under the Urban Regeneration and Development fund.
The out turn cost Laois County Council for the construction of the building stands at just under €2 million, with one year of maintenance work still required.
For insurance purposes, the Council has been required to value the building at current market prices; this process has yielded a valuation of over €11 million for the building – almost €3.5 million more than was spent on the project.
“It means that essentially, Laois County Council is in possession of an asset worth over €11 million from an outlay of just €2 million on its construction,” Mr Mulholland said.
Mr Mulholland confirmed that since opening to the public, the library has welcomed over 1,000 people per day in the first two weeks.
“That is significantly up from the old library and adds all that footfall to the Main Street,” he said.
The new library offers an enhanced and expanded library service for everyone in County Laois – it is not only a place to borrow books, but to study, to work, to relax, and to recharge in the heart of Portlaoise town.
It will facilitate the provision of educational and cultural information, provide free digital access to WiFi, computerss and a range of free events.
Occupying a central location on the Main Street, the library will form a significant element of The Cultural Quarter development in the historic core of Portlaoise showcasing and promoting the Fort Protector and Fitzmaurice Place.
The newly constructed building provides public space in excess of 1,600 square metres.
The ground floor area has general lending services with books, media and other library stock with separately definable areas for adults, and children.
The first floor provides study spaces, teen section, a dedicated local history reading room, and a community room which will cater for community events and group activities.
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