More than 100 Townsville residents have put their hands up to take the next step in shaping the future of Townsville City Council’s new library at Riverway, following more than 340 Have Your Say Townsville submissions on the new community development.
Consultation on the project, which will move the library from Thuringowa Central into the Riverway Arts Precinct, resulted in more than 1150 visits to the Have Your Say Townsville webpage and generated 341 unique feedback submissions.
Now, 113 participants will be invited to participate in a second round of engagement later this month.
Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson Ann-Maree Greaney said the majority of respondents were regular CityLibraries Thuringowa Central visitors.
“We had a resounding response from CityLibraries Thuringowa Central users, with 259 people who regularly use that library branch letting us know what they’d like to see in the new Riverway Library,” Cr Greaney said.
“This is really important information for us to capture as we’ll be able to incorporate the wants and needs of our frequent visitors into the design for the new library.
“We’ve also had an indication of how many people would be interested in 24-hour access, with almost 130 people saying they’d be keen to use the library between 6pm and 6am.
“Council’s next step is to host workshops with the 113 residents who are interested in providing more feedback on the design, which will help shape the future of our new library.”
The new Riverway Library will be a welcoming, fit-for-purpose space which will include 24-hour access to returns and reservation pick-ups, meeting rooms and digital studios.
Cr Greaney said the library move would help save ratepayers money as well as breathe new life into the precinct.
“Council’s 2021-2022 budget has $5.5 million allocated for the fit-out and for relocation expenses. We pay rent at the current Thuringowa Library location, however moving the library means we’ll be able to house the library in a Council-owned facility,” she said.
“The library is going to revitalise the Riverway Arts Precinct and bring new users to the area, as well as add an exciting new element for people who are already visiting the area to use our meeting rooms or visit Pinnacles Gallery.”