The province has earmarked $200 million for the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund, and West Nipissing council would like some of that to upgrade the municipality’s rec centre.
The West Nipissing Community and Recreation Centre, located at 219 O’Hara Street meets the funding criteria, and the project “gives the Municipality the best chance of receiving funding from this program as it meets the program criteria, goals and objectives,” noted Stephan Poulin, Director of Economic Development and Community Services in a report to council.
Upgrades to the recreation centre would include renovating the pool, reconfiguring and renovating the main pool and gym entrance to increase accessibility, and upgrading the change rooms and the fitness centre. The planned upgrades also apply to the elevator, “which is original” to the building, Poulin noted, “and does require some significant upgrades.”
The recreation centre is 30 years old, built in 1994.
The cost? The municipality estimates the total project would cost $1,875,000. If the province awarded the town the grant, the municipality’s contribution to the project would be $937,500.
Councillor Jamie Restoule agreed to support applying for the grant. Although the municipality would still be responsible for nearly one million dollars toward the bill, “if there’s a chance to get fifty cents on the dollar for much needed upgrades to something as important and critical to the community as the recreation centre, I think we should be pursuing it for sure.”
Council agreed, and staff will go ahead and submit the grant application to the province.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
