The John M. Cuelenaere Public Library will have a new look when it opens its doors to the public. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

COVID and construction

Closures allow some projects to move forward earlier

Apr 17, 2020 | 4:52 PM

The John M. Cuelenaere Public Library is closed to the public due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but despite this the building is not too quiet.

Renovations which were originally planned for the summer have gotten underway earlier than planned.

Library Services Director Alex Juorio said there was quite a bit of activity underway Friday morning.

“Right now, the movers are just completing the removal of all the physical things from the floor… and the contractor that’s going to renovate the adult washrooms is in there right now,” he said.

When the library re-opens to the public, there will be upgraded bathrooms along with new floors in the adult area of the library. There will also be new furniture added.

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Juorio said they did not have any major issues moving up the timeline and getting contractors to come in to do the work.

“A lot of the contractors we’re dealing with are in the same boat as everyone else. They’re shuffling priorities and redistributing people who can do businesses with them, so we were able to jump the queue in a few cases,” he said.

Juorio said they were able to get the shelving they ordered quicker as others were forced to cancel due to the current conditions.

Being able to do the work like this is also going to save the library some money. Juorio explained when the work was set to go, they planned to pay to rent space where they would store some items until the work was completed. However, they didn’t end up having to do this.

“We can now store materials on the juvenile side of the building,” he said.

Juorio said the administration will use the savings to buy lighting.

Other project may come early

The library project is not the only one seeing its timeline move up due to the COVID-19 virus. The Jumpstart Playground at the Alfred Jenkins Field House is set to get an expansion. Local Philanthropist Malcolm Jenkins said they hope to have shovels in the ground next month.

He said with the COVID-19 restrictions likely to still be in place, workers will not have to work around children using the park. He added this could lead to the expansion being completed faster.

“They’ll be able to go straight at it, do it in a shorter time frame. So that’s a bit of a blessing,” he said.

However, the virus has pushed back another project Jenkins sponsored. The new batting cage set to go up inside the field house will not be going in until the fall due to issues with the manufacturer.

“It’s made in Quebec and the factory there has closed down because of the coronavirus,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn