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A patched and leaking roof, boilers on the brink of breakdown, staff working out of the basement, a constant pinch for space — these are just some of the challenges Sean Quinlan says the Regina Public Library’s (RPL) Central Branch is experiencing.

And after years of discussions that never turned into action, Quinlan said now something needs to happen quickly.

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“The existing Central Library building as it stands … has only a small amount of life left in it, so we have to do something now before that life ends,” said Quinlan, who is the chair of the RPL’s board of directors.

Regina’s existing 75,000 square foot Central Library was built in 1962 — a time when the city’s population was only half of what it is today, Quinlan is quick to point out.

“The roof hasn’t been replaced since it opened. A lot of the windows were put in backwards. The boilers are on their last legs, the escalators are always breaking down and it’s tough to find parts,” he said.