Crews are pouring the foundation for a new Masset library branch and Haida language lab at the north end of Masset Main Street.
With cedar siding, timber beams, and a pitched roof, the $4.2-million building is designed to honour Haida culture and the Masset building style.
Inside, the 3,870-square-foot building will have an open design with low shelves, a fireplace lounge, a bookable meeting room, and a children’s area. About a third of the building will be dedicated to the X̱aad Kil Née language immersion program.
The new branch, due to open next year, will have longer opening hours, up from the 23 hours a week the Collison Avenue branch is open now. A name for the new branch has not been chosen yet.
The building site at 1740 Hodges Avenue, just west of Main Street was previously home to the Canadian Forces Station Masset barracks and related buildings, which were demolished in 2014.
Work on the new library branch broke ground April 30, and the construction contract was awarded to Unitech Construction Management, which also built and renovated the new kindergarten to Grade 12 Daax̱iigan Sḵ’adaa Née school in Masset.
After putting the project up to tender, the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) directly awarded the construction to Unitech, based in Delta, B.C.
In the bid document, VIRL says it chose a direct award because Unitech already has a crew and equipment in Masset, so it could fast-track construction and avoid winter-weather delays. VIRL also noted that Unitech has shown during the school project that it can handle the extra challenge of getting construction supplies and crews on Haida Gwaii.
Funding for the new building came partly through grants from the Gwaii Trust Society and Northern Development Initiative Trust, as well as from a VIRL capital levy and a Municipal Finance Authority loan secured through the North Coast Regional District. Project partners include the Village of Masset, Old Massett Village Council, CityWest, and the B.C. Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
There are no firm plans for what will happen to the current library building at 2123 Collison Avenue.
Hand-built by local college students using cedar logs, the log-cabin style building was opened in 1980 by the Masset Public Library Association and joined VIRL three years later.
The Village of Masset owns the building, which is now showing signs of significant deterioration in the roof. In 2016, an inspector’s report noted the building also lacks wheelchair access, fire-proofing, a staff area, much natural light, or a multi-purpose room.