Back of new building in Summerland – Okanagan Regional Library

Old Building – just below – followed by Front of New Building on Main retail street in the District.

How much is the new Library going to cost to build, and who is paying for it? (Slated for completion in September 2015)

The total cost for the new Library is anticipated to be just over $4.5 million including the purchase of the land ($850,000), the demolition of the old buildings and site improvements. The capital cost of building the new library is fully paid for and will be owned by the Okanagan Regional Library District. Summerland pays an annual fee to operate the library, and this is mainly spent on regional services, such as the book collection and delivery, staff wages, and facility operation and leasing. It is estimated that the Summerland taxpayers portion of the annual additional costs for the new and much larger facility will increase by approximately $10,000 more than if they had remained in their current space (Summerland residents pay just under 3% of the Regional Library costs – 97% is paid by other members). This works out to well under $1 per capita.