By Chris Lewis | Mar. 18, 2021
The City of Mount Pearl is hoping to lay the foundation for the eventual construction of a new community centre.
City staff have been tapped to gauge residents’ views on the necessity of such a facility. Councillor Isabelle Fry said it is well-needed in the city, and is a development that she and the rest of council have grown excited about.
The first step in the process, she explained, is to engage a consultant to create a feasibility study, which includes a concept design and a report on the viability of such a development.
At its March 9 meeting, council agreed to hire KMPG International for the work at a price tag of $45,000 plus HST.
Fry said the study is expected to be completed by Wednesday, April 7.
Councillor Lucy Stoyles said she was happy to see council move forward with the project. “This is not just for the seniors, but for all of the community groups,” she said. “Having a building that’s accessible to everybody is important.”
Stoyles added that while seniors are not getting together lately because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was still a bit of a struggle to do so prior to the lockdown. The Park Place Community Centre posed some accessibility issues due to the size of the one elevator; it being so small that only two people could fit in there comfortably.
The elevator, she clarified, was certified and well maintained, but still not the best when it came to large groups of seniors getting together.
“It’s so important that they can go and do everything under the one roof, on the same level,” Stoyles said. “I’m delighted to see us moving forward with such a project.”
Councillor Bill Antle agreed the Park Place Community Centre is simply too active for the number of people who were making use of it prior to the lockdowns.
“If you turned on the kettle in one room, you were likely to turn the lights off in another room because there were so many people using it,” he said. “Moving forward, I think the residents are going to be so happy with this.”
Mayor Dave Aker echoed the concerns, describing not just the accessibility issues, but also a load-bearing wall and even signs of cracking and leaking in the basement. It is the perfect time for a new centre like this, he argued.
“I think it’s going to be a really good fit for the community from our cadets to our Brownies, Girl Guides, Scouts, Cubs, to the service groups like the Kinsmen and the Kinettes,” he said.
Council, as of right now, is not certain as to where or how the new community centre will be developed. That will be outlined in the feasibility study.
Once the report is compiled, Antle said council will be swift in its next announcement about the new centre.
