Plans for a new library in Sooke have again taken a back seat after there were no successful applicants in the bid to build the facility.
The proposals fell through due to the facility’s required 10,000 square footage, including that it must be contained on one level. None of the bids met the required parking requirements.
Kerrie Reay, who serves as a VIRL trustee for the District of Sooke, said the executive board is cautious about where the building in Sooke will go.
“You can’t really shoot from the hip. You have to be cautious about what you put out there if you haven’t spoken with anybody or haven’t done anything in terms of community outreach,” she said, adding that while discussions are ongoing on the executive level, nothing official has been presented to the library board.
Meantime, the VIRL board approved its 2016 budget recently.
The operating budget is $33,062,045 with municipal and rural levies contributing $20,372,451, which represents an average increase of 3.66 per cent, or a per capita increase of $1.68.
VIRL currently serves 39 communities on the Island, including Sooke and Port Renfrew.