The Orillia Public Library will soon be quieter thanks to a mix of municipal, provincial and federal funding.
The library is getting $24,625 to have a sound-masking system installed. The funding comes from the federal Investing in Canada plan. The feds are providing $9,850, while the province will contribute $8,208 and the City of Orillia will kick in $6,567. The library will have to provide another $5,000 to $6,000.
“We are thrilled,” said library CEO Suzanne Campbell. “We have been trying to get this for a number of years and we do get a lot of complaints about noise. It’ll be better for both members of the public and staff.”
The library had asked the city twice to fund the sound-masking system but was turned down by budget committee both times.
The system will include speakers, some of which will be installed in the ceiling.
Many of the complaints have been about noise coming from the café. With all of the hard surfaces and so much open space in the library, the noise carries to the second floor.
“People trying to study or read are being disrupted by that noise,” Campbell said.
She hopes to have the system installed by late June or early July.
The funding was announced in a news release from Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop.
“Today’s announcement supporting recreational, cultural and community infrastructure is so important in maintaining strong, healthy and vibrant communities in central Ontario,” she said.
