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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A new public library at the Somba K'e Plaza site comes with a $16-million price tag and will require a minimum five-year planning and building commitment, city councillors heard last week.

Councillors and administration met at a committee meeting to discuss the newly-released library pre-design study and to quiz consultant Leighton McCarthy of Library Planning Consultants, one of three firms commissioned in 2007 to complete the study.

While there is some hope partner groups will step up to foot a large portion of the construction bill in return for the top floor of the two-floor proposed building, none have yet been targeted, McCarthy told councillors. Plans are still in the earliest stage, and there is no confirmation the new library will even get the go-ahead. "At this point the path is still undefined," said Mayor Gord Van Tighem. "This report gives us more direction on where to go, but nothing is cast."

While the study outlined survey results and detailed the amount of square footage required for the proposed facility, it offered no ideas on what the building might look like.

"We did nothing towards design in this specific study. What we did look at was the space required for use," said McCarthy.

The space required will only increase as Yellowknife's population increases.

"Libraries are built to withstand 20 years of growth," said McCarthy, adding expansion is often needed to house new programming and new books.

The two-decade expiration date did not sit well with some councillors, however.

"There are a couple of things which raised my eyebrows ... one of these is the 20-year horizon," said city councillor David Wind.

Wind also asked why the current library, which has been closed since for October for renovations, couldn't be expanded once more.

McCarthy answered it was not impossible to take the current facility at Centre Square Mall and make it work but added there were so many complaints concerning the mall site, it would not do the community much good.

"There are a lot of problems with that building right now," he said.

One of the most-referenced problems discussed in the study was library security.

"There was more than ample reference to it" in the survey, said McCarthy. "It's essential for the well-being of the library." Other concerns included noise levels, which haven't been as much of a problem lately, said library manager Deborah Bruser.

The next step for the city is to look at the capital plan in the beginning of 2010 and to get "a real clear look at when this building ought to happen," said city administrator Max Hall.