PORT CHARLOTTE — In an unexpected turn of events that thickens the plot in an already contentious debate, Charlotte County Commission Chairman Chris Constance has asked staff to research the feasibility of converting the former IMPAC university building in Punta Gorda into a regional library that could — if the business and technology incubator proposed for that site fails — replace the aging library facility on Henry Street.

It’s a concept born out of a conversation Constance initiated several weeks ago, in which he directed administration to look into the cost to set up and operate a small digital library within the facility to supplement the services offered at the Punta Gorda Library. The digital media library would operate alongside the business and technology incubator that the Enterprise Charlotte Economic Council and the county’s economic development staff want to develop on the IMPAC campus.