The Cloverdale Library is getting new windows and skylights along with other improvements, thanks to a $103,000 maintenance upgrade that’s being cost-shared with the federal government.
The $50,000 in federal funds will help the City of Surrey replace the library’s exterior walls, windows, skylights and part of the building’s roof.
The city is sharing costs with the federal government, which is contributing $50,000 through its Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund, or CIIF.
The fund supports, on a cost-share basis, repairs and improvements to existing community infrastructure accessible to the public.
South Surrey–White Rock–Cloverdale MP Russ Heibert made the announcement Nov. 14 at the Cloverdale Library, on behalf of Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification.
He was joined by Surrey acting mayor Mary Martin and councillor Barinder Rasode, along with library staff and Lorne Aniuk, project manager of operations and maintenance for the City of Surrey.
“We’re replacing the windows on the lower level,” Aniuk said, “and replacing the exterior siding, it’s quite tired." The skylights in the upper floor that are beyond their life cycle, he added, explaining a portion of the roof on the back end of the building will also be replaced.
Located at 5642 176A Street, the building is a former justice building that was refurbished to house the Cloverdale Library in 1985, meaning it’s older than it might appear. The library was formerly located in what’s presently home to the Surrey Archives next door.
“The building was built in the early 1970s I would think so the windows are beyond their life cycle, and they’re single-panes, too,” Aniuk said. “We’ll get more energy efficiency by replacing the windows.”
The project was just one of several similar announcements in Surrey last week. For instance, the Fleetwood Library is receiving $150,000 in federal funding through the same program, enabling the City of Surrey to replace boilers with high-efficiency models, along with a hot water tank and cooling tower.
Heibert, who lives in Cloverdale, said his four young children are avid users of the Cloverdale Library.
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