THE final piece of the funding jigsaw for a $62 million library-plaza-civic centre project in central Dandenong was completed this morning.
The state government announced a $750,000 Living Libraries grant towards a $7.5 million, 2293-square-metre library in Thomas Street.
It will be more than double the 1100-square-metre existing library in Dandenong and one of the largest in Victoria.
It is one part of a grand ‘‘Federation Square of the south-east’’ project – dubbed ‘Dandenong Connects’ – that includes a civic centre, cafe, meeting rooms and outdoor plaza with a public video screen.
The announcement brought the total state funding to $1.2 million, including a $500,000 Community Benefit Fund grant announced last week.
The library, with 66,000 members, will expand its popular armory of digital technology at its future Thomas Street site.
Currently its 15 PCs are booked out all-day. At the new site, there will be more than 30 PCs, plus mobile tablet platforms and Wi-Fi.
The library is also expand its stocks of foreign-language books and media for its renowned culturally-diverse residents, as well as its literacy programs, study rooms and meeting places.
Community services director Mark Doubleday said the library’s demand was outgrowing its current site.
Chief executive John Bennie said the council was ‘‘over the moon’’ with the project’s outside funding which will ‘‘ease the burden on the people of Greater Dandenong’’.
Last month, the project attracted a $6 million Regional Development Fund federal grant as an anticipated drawcard for residents in the wider south-east region.
If the funding hadn’t come through, the council would have had to make ‘‘adjustments and amendments’’ to the project, Mr Bennie said.
Mr Bennie said the library may be among the biggest, but more importantly it would be ‘‘the best’’.
Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell said the library attracted the highest possible Living Libraries grant because of its importance to its 66,000 members and a diverse community.
The project is expected to be finished by March 2014.
