Opinion by historian ALEX NELSON
The transfer of Tourism Central Australia into the purpose-built premises of the Alice Springs Public Library is a done deal between the town council and NT Government, but (as Charlie Carter asks) there is as yet no indication of where the library will be temporarily housed and its final destination.
There has been some movement since the MOU was announced in November last year, as ownership of the long-vacated former premises of TCA facing Gregory Terrace has now been transferred from the government to the council; however, the only thing shared with this deal and the library is that the council has no firm plans for either of them.
I have a suggestion for where the public library may be relocated: Mwerre House (at top) in Hartley Street.
Longer term residents will recall this was the location for the old Department of Social Security and Centrelink.
It’s a spacious double-storey building with ample room for the library, I believe.
Mwerre House is also adjacent to Minerals House (at left), the former base for the old NT Department of Mines and Energy, now re-purposed as the local office for NT Archives (the photos were taken exactly seven years ago – March 4, 2018).
It makes sense to me to have the library’s invaluable Alice Collection relocated next door to NT Archives as these facilities would complement each other.
Mwerre House is easily accessible in the town centre, with car parking available at the front and rear of the building. A public bus stop is located only metres away from the main entry.
There are also several cafes and restaurants in close proximity, too – and, who knows, placing the library in that vicinity might help prompt reviving the nearby Overlander Steakhouse and heritage-listed Tunck’s Store, both languishing as vacant properties now for years.
Mwerre House is currently the office for social housing, a division of the NT Department of Housing, Local Government and Community Development, a portfolio held by Minister Steve Edgington – all of which seems particularly fortuitous if my suggestion for relocating the public library there has any legs to it.
The principal costs would involve the relocation of the current occupants to another suitable location (of which I’m sure there’s no shortage in town) and the re-purposing of Mwerre House to operate as a public library.
I’ve no idea how much that would be, but it’s a fair bet there would be some decent change left over from the $15m allocated to the town council for building a new library.
Given the parlous condition of the NT’s budget, any significant cost savings that can be gained while still achieving quality results for the mutual benefit of all parties must surely be a welcome opportunity to at least be given serious consideration
Brilliant Alex!!
Not likely to happen. In the NT good local ideas are often eclipsed by some very expensive harebrained alternative suggestions by interstate or even overseas “experts”.
After all they have $15m to spend, anything less than that is out of the question.
So do we ever think of families, not everyone drives to the library. Many ride or walk along the river.
Families sit outside on the grass.
Please consider looking after the locals as well as tourists.
My question is: where will people park? Hartley St in this area is notorious for the governemnt workers parking on the street all day with little to no regard to nearby business.