New Highfields Library opens its doors
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An investment of more than $14 million into the Toowoomba Region’s fastest growing area has now come to life with the opening of the new Highfields library and associated road and car park upgrades.
Residents are invited to experience Toowoomba Region’s newest public library, customer service centre and community meeting space following the opening of Highfields Library at 32 O’Brien Road.
Library-goers are already enjoying the facility which offers an expanded book collection, a dedicated junior reading area, study spaces, computers, free Wi-Fi access, public art and landscaped outdoor areas with views of the Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve.
The community will also be able to access public meeting rooms following the facility’s official opening today.
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Environment and Community Committee Lead Cr Tim McMahon said Highfields Library was created to meet the needs of the Highfields community now and into the future.
“Council is extremely proud of the new Highfields Library,” Cr McMahon said.
"I think we will see people coming from around the Region to visit this new facility.
“It is a welcoming, modern facility which includes a library, customer service centre, public meeting space and community hub all rolled into one,” Cr McMahon said.
“The previous library was visited by over 50,000 people each year.
“It was a demountable structure which did not have the space or facilities needed to accommodate the growing number of library users in Highfields and its surrounding communities”.
Cr McMahon said the library provides a space where the whole community can come to meet, work, study, play and relax.
“Libraries were once places where people gathered to read in silence.
“They are now vibrant, focal points of communities.
“The facility includes spaces for children’s activities and library functions and nooks where people can sit and read or socialise.
"It also includes three meeting rooms for public hire that can be used individually or opened as one space.
“These technology-enabled rooms can be used for meetings or training sessions. Discounted hire is available to community and not-for-profit groups.”
Cr McMahon said Toowoomba-based construction company McNab Developments (QLD) designed and constructed the $8 million, 1300m² facility and that the $14.8 million total spend included roads and car parking facilities.
“Council extends its thanks to McNab who successfully delivered this project on Council’s behalf,” Cr McMahon said.
“Council is proud to acknowledge that more than 90 percent of suppliers engaged for the project were local.
“A striking 6.5 metre north-facing glass wall with views of the Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve is a prominent features of the new building.
“The community can also enjoy the landscaped surrounds of the Cultural Precinct which features a grassed area and benches scattered around the perimeter paths”.
Cr McMahon said the new facility features public art titled ‘Nature Unfolding’ by Kyra Mancktelow, a Quandamooka and Mardigan woman whose practice spans sculpture, installation and painting.
‘Nature Unfolding’ speaks to the rich history and importance of bunya pine trees that were and continue to be a rich source of food for Aboriginal peoples of South East Queensland,” he said.
“The artwork includes a bronze coolamon, aluminium and paint rub finished seed pods, bronze seed pods and sandblasted motifs including bunya nuts, bracken, leaves and seeds”.
The whole site is access friendly and caters to the many different accessibility needs of the community.
Free public parking is located in the Cultural Precinct car park accessed via Balmoral Street.
Bicycle racks and mobility scooter charging and parking facilities are located outside the building.
Highfields Library hours: 9am to 5pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9am to 6pm Thursday, 9am to 5pm Friday and 10am to 2pm Saturday. Customer Service hours: 9am to 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday*, Friday* Customer Service closes at 3pm on the second Thursday of each month. Community meeting room hours: 9am to 5pm Monday, 9am to 9pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9am to 5pm Friday and 10am to 2pm Saturday.For community room hire information, please visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/communityvenues, call 131 872 or email [email protected].The Highfields Library project was jointly funded by the Australian Government and Toowoomba Regional Council. Australian Government funding of $5 million was provided through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program. This program supports local councils to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure projects across Australia, supporting jobs and the resilience of local economies to help communities bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Member for Groom Garth Hamilton MP said he is proud that the Australian Government was able to support this project through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program.
“The library will act as a hub for the whole community, providing a place for avid readers, families, and community groups to come together, Mr Hamilton said.
“Highfields enjoys a unique identity that is only growing stronger as more people move to the area and I can’t wait for locals to enjoy this facility”.
This project is a pivotal part of the Highfields Master Plan which provides a blueprint for how Council’s land will be developed over time to deliver the community’s vision of a vibrant centre with a mix of uses, including public space, commercial, retail and residential areas.
In addition to the new facility, the $14.8 million project also included road and car park works completed in O’Brien Road and the Highfields Cultural Precinct from mid-2020 to August 2021.
For more information on the Highfields library, visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/newhighfieldslibrary, call Council on 131 872 and quote Highfields library and community facility or email [email protected].
Features: The new building has a floor area of 1300m².
More than 4300 new trees and plants have been planted in the Civic Precinct as part of the project.
The Library is fitted with solar panels able to produce around 30 megawatt-hours per year and offset approximately 25 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
The Environmentally Sensitive Designed (ESD) building has a number of other green initiatives including: • thermally efficient glazing to reduce the solar gain in the building, coupled with external and internal sun shading • energy-efficient LED lighting to reduce power consumption • external and internal construction elements to achieve superior insulation and acoustic properties • a 25 kilolitre underground water tank plumbed to service toilets and outdoor irrigation points.
Lower ground: This area houses the library along with returns and main collection areas, a junior reading area, a customer service centre, computers and free Wi-Fi, copy and print area, reading lounges and study areas, toilets, a parent’s room and lockers.
Upper ground: This area includes three large seminar rooms that can be used individually or opened up for theatre-style use, free Wi-Fi, toilets and external book returns chute.