Alice Springs Town Council opens tender for new library design and consultation

As a tourism not-for-profit gears up to move into Alice Springs’ existing library, the local council is now calling for help to design the town’s next ‘beating heart’. Find out more.

Alice Springs public library, Leichhardt Tce, Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

A Northern Territory council is calling for help to create concept designs for one of the “beating hearts” of the town – the library, which a tourism not-for-profit is set to “co-share” soon.

The Alice Springs Town Council has released a tender for consultancy services and to help create concept designs for the town’s new multimillion-dollar library.

“Our library is one of the beating hearts of Alice Springs, and this tender is the first step in creating a space that truly reflects our community’s aspirations,” Alice Springs council Mayor Asta Hill said.

The new library, set to be built on the current council car park by the existing council lawns, is being funded by the NT Government which has committed $14.96m, to the project.

The government was “pleased” to support the new library project, NT Treasurer Bill Yan said, “as this project moves into the next phase”.

The Alice Springs Town Council has opened the tender to transform the town's existing library into a new tourist information centre, set to be occupied by Tourism Central Australia.

The money from the government was first committed over a year ago, as part of a $27m cash splash on Alice Springs.

While the new library is being built, Tourism Central Australia is set to move away from its Todd Mall office into the existing Alice Springs library, under a “co-share” arrangement.

The library will stay open, and TCA will be housed in the special collections section of the existing library.

TCA would share the space with the public library until the new library was built, Ms Hill said on Wednesday.

TCA chief executive Danial Rochford, who also sits on the council, has previously said he recused himself from any discussions relating to the new library.

The Alice Springs Town Council has also released a tender to begin works on turning the current library into the tourism centre.

An indicative timeline, released with the tender, has work beginning on the existing library as early as January 6 – granted the tender is awarded by December 19.

The council’s consultation and design tender closes on January 9.

Originally published as Alice Springs Town Council opens tender for new library design and consultation