Word on the Street: Was the over-budget and delayed Jasper Library and Cultural Centre worth it?
Photo - P. Clarke. As the Jasper Library and Cultural Centre celebrated its soft opening on Aug. 4, the Fitzhugh asked attendees if the building, which opened three and half years behind schedule and was $1.
As the Jasper Library and Cultural Centre celebrated its soft opening on Aug. 4, the Fitzhugh asked attendees if the building, which opened three and half years behind schedule and was $1.5 million over budget, was worth the wait and extra cash.
Tom Price: “It’s very comfortable here. It’s not just some foreboding concrete slab. I think it’s a really good use of the space. Major projects are always getting delayed so honestly I didn’t really think twice when this one kept getting delayed. Same thing with budgets—I’d like to know specifically why this project was over budget, but I wasn’t surprised to hear that it was. With any major project I never keep my anticipations for the original completion date—almost everything goes over.” Rico Satoko, JAG member: “I don’t even think about the extra money and now that it’s open I don’t think about the delays. I’m just really happy it’s open. It looks really professional and I think a lot of people want to come here. We (JAG) moved around so much so it’s nice to finally have a permanent home. All the other stuff doesn’t matter to me.” Dale Karpluk: “As a taxpayer I think we’re incredibly lucky to have a space like this that not only locals will utilize but also visitors. I think we’ve turned a corner and we’re ready to move on and put all the delays and the construction troubles behind us. I think most people just want to enjoy the building now. They’ve blended the new architecture with the old perfectly and it’s a great building.” Angie Lemire: “I think everything up until this point has been worth it—it’s a big and open library with tons of places to sit and read or have meetings for different organizations. One of my favourite parts is the JAG gallery. I’ve visited them in various locations and I think this building really shows off our local artists. And this is something that’s going to last for many years so I do think it was all worth it.” Brian Lackey: “I think after so long a lot of us just became numb to the delays. I just didn’t think about it that much and just thought whenever it opens is when it’ll open. For the longest time I had an idea of what the building would look like, but when it was finally done it was above my expectations—it’s fantastic and I know I’ll be spending a lot of time here. There are so many great programs here that I can see myself getting involved with and the art is always changing so for me the delays and all that are just in the past." Nolan Duzan: "I don’t really know what took so long and I don’t really think it should have taken that long, but the first time I walked into the building I was just amazed at the structure. In the end I think everything paid off and I’m just happy that I have place that I can go and use the computers and look at books.”
