The historical exhibits, art, and Indigenous cultural displays aren't all in place quite yet, but the process of opening Langley's salishan Place by the River officially began on Saturday, Feb. 8.
The building's grand opening allowed residents to take a look around at the facility, from its museum and archival spaces to a theatre, banquet room, and the new location of the Fraser Valley Regional Library branch.
While the Langley Centennial Museum was primarily a museum, the new facility is to function as an arts, culture, and heritage centre.
The Fort Langley Library officially opened in its new space, with locals able to borrow and reserve books and the many other items the library lends, from telescopes to radon detectors to ukuleles.
Library supervisor Janine Chow said the staff were all excited about the new permanent location. For many years, the library was located in the Fort Langley Community Hall, and then for more than a year it's been in a "pop up" location in the old Centennial Museum site across the street from salishan.
The new space has a bit more room and is better laid out than previous locations, as it's been purpose-built to serve as a library.
Mayor Eric Woodward and Kwantlen First Nation Councillor Tumia Knott both spoke at the official opening of the salishan Place, before the public got a chance to tour the whole location.
Woodward talked about how previous councils began the process to replace the previous Langley Centennial Museum with the new facility, which is much larger.
The Mayor also spoke of how the creation of the new building, was a partnership with the Kwantlen First Nation, as will its work in the future.
He briefly mentioned the delays in getting the building opened, almost two years behind the originally planned date.
"It's been a few years waiting for this day," Woodward noted. "Construction can be complicated."
But Township staff have begun the process of moving historic documents, archives, and artifacts from the Langley Centennial Museum site over to the new building.
The process is expected to take some time, given the 17,000 items that have to be transferred. The rest of the facility will see a phased opening.
