Estrangement or inclusion

Merriam-Webster's dictionary define's estrange as to cause someone to be no longer involved or connected with something.   Entering the newly renovated Nanaimo Harbourfront Library, this is what immediately comes to mind.  Not inclusion.  Not engagement.

Cold,  empty spaces.    Modern minimalist décor.     Words on walls.   Empty chairs.   It doesn't feel like a warm, busy,  book-focused place that a library ought to be.

Did anyone involved in the design of this million dollar renovation ask ordinary people what they thought,  or what they wanted?    The library was closed for seven months for this.    It seems to me it was designed by elites who didn't really want people or books to clutter the space.     Was the overriding objective to chase out homeless loiterers,  or better monitor them? 

The following pictures were taken on a cold wintry Saturday afternoon when the library should be crowded and busy,  and used to be crowded and busy.   

Councillor Brennan likes it,  as she was quoted in the Nanaimo News Bulletin

“I'm impressed, there's just so much light in there. There's huge floor-to-ceiling windows that we, as library users, never saw before because there was the shelving and other things that were placed in front of it, so it's really beautiful,” 

f

It would be interesting to ask ordinary Nanaimoites what they think.  Former Nanaimo bookstore owner and librarian Thora Howell is not impressed.   In a recent news story she is quoted observing:  "That library doesn't reflect anything of this community, it just doesn't."

I am reminded of the modern trend towards public spaces that eschews places to sit.  Diana Krall plaza is one such place. 

The rebuttal to much of this is that the world is moving to a digital realm,  paperless books,  reading online and from home.  People are cocooning.  But then what happens to the physical community?   It is important to retain and encourage this.

This website makes an interesting read about how the design of public spaces can encourage community and democracy or stifle it.

Home - Project for Public Spaces

What is especially odd is how different this revamped library is from the newly constructed North Nanaimo branch.

The library provides small notes on which patrons can write their feedback.   I would be curious to see this feedback.    Also,  it would be interesting to see the data on how many people are visiting the library since it re-opened.   Now of course this data will be skewed by the North Nanaimo branch opening,  but there ought to be a way to determine an optimal number.    I suspect that after six months,  it will be far less than the old library and far from optimal.    

When I go to a restaurant,  at the end I know whether the experience makes me want to come back again or not.   Unfortunately,  more often than not it is the latter.    It has a lot to do with a feeling.   The renovated library in my view and the view of many other former patrons is that this new feeling is not positive.

Budget Survey -- Did it work?

It is interesting to see the link to and promotion of the Nanaimo City Services Survey or Citizen Budget Survey (it seems to have two names) show up on the City homepage at 2:45 P.M. on November 25th when in fact the survey closes on the 27th.  (It has been open since Nov.12th.)   I have suggested to council that this survey should be front and centre on the website, not buried.  

The original press release went out November 9th, and appeared on the Nanaimo.ca  homepage, but then vanished.This original release mentioned the objective being to gather 600 responses.  Could it be that the actual response rate has been far less, hence the last minute need to repost on the website?

This budget survey is in fact flawed in several ways.    First,  it seems that anyone can take  it,  any number of times.   Is there any way to ensure its validity?     And why in the survey is ‘somewhat important’ ranked higher than ‘important’  and why does only one category warrant  the option of “I don’t care”?   When one considers that the meagre attendance of the eForum budget input session and this survey seem to be the only formal processes of gathering input for the 2016 budget (and 5-year budget plan),  there is a problem.

Some questions about the City of Nanaimo budget

At tonight's Budget Process e-Town Hall meeting an impressive 24 questions (my notes show) were asked and answered to varying degrees. Imagine if the event had been better promoted, i.e. on the City of Nanaimo homepage.

I was doubtful at first when the questions were about bicycle safety and dog parks. I question the relevancy of a number of other questions to the budget at hand. After spending some time this past weekend going through the budget proposal prepared by city staff, I came up with ten questions, one of which I asked at tonight's meeting.

1. In your budget survey, why is ‘somewhat important’ ranked higher than ‘important’ and why does only one category warrant the option of “I don’t care”?

2. Why is this budget meeting and the survey not promoted on the city of Nanaimo homepage?

3. If crime rates are decreasing according to the budget document, and the population of Nanaimo will only increase by about 5% in this budget period (according the Conference Board of Canada) , and inflation in BC is averaging 1.1% per year according to StatsCan why is spending on police services projected to increase by 26%? This includes 16 additional RCM and 3 additional support staff? A 5% population growth should mean 7 new members added to the current staffing of 140, not 16.

4.   Similarly,  what is the justification for increasing fire and emergency services by 29% between 2016 and 2020?

5. Under your key assumptions in the budget document (p.29), why do you cite British Columbia inflation for 2014 at 2.4%, when according to Statscan, in September 2015 it was 1.3%.

6. What is the status of contract negotiations between the City and the IAFF? Will wage increases be reigned in after the 2.5% retroactive increase given recently for 2012-2015.

7. What will be the effect on budget information presented of excluding library costs? Will these costs be shown as part of any expenditure or tax increases? 

8. Can you commit that no City of Nanaimo funds will be part of the grants for the $5.1 million Port Theatre expansion? If not, how much in city funding will be spent?

 9. How many firefighters are currently employed by the City?

10. Why does the city plan to change the nature of financing capital projects from drawing on reserves to debt financing? This makes no sense when the reserves are earning so little.

Initial Presentation to City Council - November 2015

My video presentation to council can be viewed here.   Scroll down to item 12b at 8:39 p.m.
I will comment in a future blog post about some of the ridiculous things the mayor stated in his pontifical lecture to me following my presentation.