TERRACE, B.C. — The Government of British Columbia is putting $4.4 million into a library renewal project at Coast Mountain College (CMTN) in Terrace, B.C.
Work to renew and refurbish the flood-damaged Spruce Building on the main campus is expected to begin this summer and will bring the building to code along with adding improved accessibility, energy efficiency and air quality.
“In these challenging times, our government is working to ensure that we are doing everything possible to support British Columbians in every part of the province. The library renewal project at Coast Mountain College is a long-term investment that will give students dedicated spaces to study and learn and will also provide immediate, well-paying construction work for tradespeople in Terrace. The inclusion of Indigenous design and child-friendly spaces will guarantee a welcoming and inclusive building for generations to come,” said provincial Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training Melanie Mark in a statement.
The project design team worked with Coast Mountain’s First Nations Council and sought the input of students to design a space that supported the college’s First Nations students in its function and reflection of local First Nations culture, the government release stated. The design includes an Indigenous reading circle crafted from local cedar. The wood ceiling design represents the Skeena River watershed.
“The library renewal is a very exciting project for our Terrace students who have been accessing library services from a smaller, temporary location since the flood in 2018. The new space will not only reflect Indigenous ways of learning and knowing, it will give students and instructors a modern and comfortable space for study, teaching and learning,” said Coast Mountain College president Justin Kohlman.
The new space will include informal learning areas along with a lab and a designated reading area for children. The Spruce building was originally built as a classroom block in the 1970s and with a library in the basement. The loss of the library space due to flooding affected the college’s ability to deliver library services, such as learning, technology and research support.
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