A pilot project will be underway at Quinte West Library that will see security be put in place at the building.
The decision was announced following a closed session of council at its meeting on Wednesday.
Councillor Zack Card gave a statement at the start of the public session regarding the pilot project.
“Council discussed the matter in closed and would like to report out and open to let the public know the approach the city has taken to address the matter, given the great public interest and those in attendance here this evening,” Card said.
“Council approved the following in that council direct staff to proceed with procuring security for City Hall for the hours when the library is open, but City Hall is not, as a pilot project, and that council direct staff to report back on related incidents at City Hall during the pilot period.”
Card says that council is also directing staff to explore options for hiring a community support and outreach worker in conjunction with community partners as a long-term approach to assisting with vulnerable populations in the downtown core, but not limited to City Hall.
Staff are also directed to explore external funding opportunities, in conjunction with community partners, to fund a community support and outreach worker as well as work with the OPP to develop “safety by environmental design strategies” for all city facilities.
This would include installing signage at City Hall that would deter illegal activity.
Staff would then report back with the requested information prior to 2026 budget discussions.
The announcement of the pilot project comes after an incident at the washrooms of Quinte West Library where two people were spotted using drugs.
That incident was reported to the library and told to Quinte West City Council during public input of the March 19 meeting by resident Cheyenne Hennessy.
She requested council look into having a security guard at the location saying the issue “poses a massive problem” for adults and children that could be using the facility.
“We need a deterrent. It’s not just for our children, it’s for the staff, it’s for yourselves, it’s for your families and our janitors that have to clean those bathrooms. So it’s for our whole community that I’m asking this,” Hennessy said during public input.
Following that meeting, Hennessy and other members of her group spoke with interim CAO Chris Angelo as well as other representatives of the city including Councillor Zack Card in a meeting in April.
In a timeline of events sent to Quinte News, Hennessy says the meeting was adjourned in a “relatively positive light” after expressing their concerns to the city.
At the meeting Wednesday, Angelo says he spoke with Cheyenne and her family outside of City Hall and says the family is extremely grateful for the direction that council is taking.
He says once a plan is put together and put to action, staff will inform council.
