Council approves expansion to Community Centre building site

The Community Centre project team has been working on finalizing design drawings in anticipation of issuing tender documents this May.

Through more detailed design work, and based on feedback from the community prior to the referendum in 2020, it was determined that the building footprint on the building site constrained both the accessibility of the site as well as the parking availability. The project design team provided options for improved vehicle access to and from the site as well as improved parking areas. A proposed expansion was unanimously supported by the Community Centre Select Steering Committee and the Mayor’s Standing Committee on Community Lands.

At its meeting on April 26, 2021, Council approved the expansion area of approximately 1.2 acres within Lot 2 of the Community Lands, to satisfy both present and future parking needs as well future facility expansion needs.

The new vehicle entrance will provide better pedestrian and cycling access to the site as well as safer pedestrian crossings. It also provides four passenger drop-off spots and a turn-around circle to allow for easy and quick drop-off and pick-up without having to navigate through the entire parking area just to turn around.

To improve vehicle and pedestrian flow within the building site, parallel parking along the soccer field fence line was removed. This not only improves accessibility but also maintains the possible future access needs to the Community Lands to the north.

To improve large vehicle access for building servicing needs such as solid waste pick up, the parking area to the north of the facility was re-designed.

The design team submitted a full set of coordinated drawings (architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and civil) to update the 2018 Building Permit to meet code requirements in 2021.

This coordinated set of drawings is the basis for the tender package. The tender package is targeted for completion in May and posting to the market thereafter. The tender is scheduled to close in July, and the project team will be seeking approval to proceed to contract award in August 2021. Construction would begin in the Fall of 2021 with a proposed completion and opening in the Summer of 2023.

Read the Project Update Report to Council, dated April 26, 2021