ARICHAT - The Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL) branch in St. Peter’s may be a step closer to moving to a new community hub that is targeted to set up shop at a former liquor store on the village’s main thoroughfare.

In the early stages of Monday's regular monthly meeting of Richmond Municipal Council, ECRL chief executive officer Laura Emery joined forces with St. Peter’s volunteer – and former Richmond councillor – Clair Rankin, for a presentation that invited the municipality to give approval in principle to a proposal known as “The St. Peter’s Community Hub.”

The strategy involves relocating the 10-year-old ECRL branch from its current space in a less-high-profile portion of Grenville Street to a new location – specifically, the building that served as the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission (NSLC) outlet in St. Peter’s for several decades.

The “Community Hub” project would also house the village’s Visitor Information Centre – currently located on the Bras d’Or Lake shoreline along Route 4 on the outskirts of St. Peter’s – and provide a new home for Evolve Athletics, a fitness centre that has been searching for a new location for the past year. Emery and Rankin are also pitching the prospect of a large community gathering space that would be connected to the library section but accessible to the general public whenever it’s needed.

In addition to increased square footage, the library delegation is also enthusiastic about increased parking capacity, especially now that the village has recently received control of a parcel of paved land across the street that formerly belonged to Irving Oil and its long-demolished gas station.

Emery also pointed out that the provincial government has provided the library branch with $10,000 to increase its Wi-Fi service beyond the current branch’s capacity.

The ECRL delegation didn’t come to last night’s Richmond council meeting with a specific dollar figure, although that’s expected to come as the county edges closer to its budget deliberations next spring.

Instead, the library presenters were merely looking for support in principle for the “St. Peter’s Community Hub” project – and they got it, with unanimous approval from all five Richmond councillors.

Following the meeting, Warden Amanda Mombourquette – whose District Four takes in St. Peter’s and the surrounding communities – was enthusiastic about the Community Hub idea, and suggested that the former NSLC building provides a more visible, central location for visitors and locals alike.