A construction notice has been sent to those who live adjacent to the Ottawa Public Library-Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility construction site.
It is to advise that construction on site is ramping up, and to inform residents of the construction activities planned between now and late May 2021.
What: Ottawa Public Library (OPL) and Library and Archives Canada (LAC) are partnering to develop a new joint facility that will house OPL’s new Central Library and LAC’s public programs and services in the National Capital Region.
When: Work will be restarting on the site including shoring, drilling and general excavation and is expected to continue until the end of May 2021.
Where: The work will occur on the site of the new facility, 555 Albert Street, between Commissioner Street and Empress Street.
Who: On behalf of the project partners, the City of Ottawa has retained the Contractor, PCL to complete the early phases of site preparation work.The City will be releasing the tender for the main project construction in spring 2021, with construction of the facility to begin in fall 2021.
Construction Disruptions
The contractor will take every precaution to minimize interruptions to the everyday life of your family and/or operation of your business. As is often the case with this type of work, there may be some inconvenience during the course of the construction work, such as traffic delays, parking restrictions, noise, lighting and dust. You may also feel vibrations due to heavy equipment operations. Vibrations from construction activities are quite common and rarely cause problems.
Given the project’s proximity to critical infrastructure, vibration and monitoring sensors have been installed. These sensors will alert the project team to any vibration or movement exceeding specified limits. There have been no exceedances to date. Those who reside close to the site can expect the following over the course of the next few months:
- Work will be restarting on site including shoring, drilling and general excavation and is expected to continue until the end of May 2021.
- This work will result in loud drilling sounds and construction equipment/truck activity that will generally run from 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday (and in accordance with the construction activity hours of work set by the province and the City’s Noise By-law).
- Work will commence close to Commissioner Street and then move west along Albert Street.
We commit to residents that live adjacent to the construction site that we will continue to provide timely information regarding what to expect living and working in close proximity to the site.
Virtual Open House
As COVID-19 prevents in-person gatherings at this time, a Virtual Open House has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 at 6:00pm (anticipating an hour session). The Project Team will introduce themselves and provide a walk-through of the overall construction schedule and description of the type of activity planned for the preliminary construction work. At the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions. The session will be delivered in English, however simultaneous translation will be available. The Zoom call details are:
https://zoom.us/j/92869778236?pwd=ZGZIaFo4MG5jQnpYYXMvb1A3c0tHQT09
Meeting ID: 928 6977 8236. Passcode: 828262
Contact Information
For any emergency outside normal working hours, please call the City at 3-1-1. For general project information, please email centrallibrary@ottawa.ca or contact the City’s Project Manager.
City Project Manager
Simon Dupuis, Design and Construction, simon.dupuis@ottawa.ca