Skip to content

Committee shows designs for new community centre

Town council had a first look at drawings of a potential community centre last Wednesday as the Architectural Design Advisory Committee shared its requests.
commcentrepr
Town council had a first look at drawings of a potential community centre last Wednesday as the Architectural Design Advisory Committee shared its requests.
Michaela Weiner and Guela Solow-Ruda of Petroff Architects showed drawings  of a facility with two gymnasiums, two ice rinks and a multipurpose performing arts room.
“We looked at this project as not just creating a community centre, but in creating a community,” Solow-Ruda said at the Fonthill’s Fire Station No. 1.
“[The designs] look very concrete, but it’s changeable.”
Those changes may include room a second ice rink, and a future fitness centre.
Solow-Ruda says a fitness competent of facility was  deleted at previous meeting. The town had local businesses offering the same service.
Doors and entrances into the building, as well as the fitness design can be changed later.
Jon Nicol, chair of the Architectural Design Advisory Committee, says the committee needs to know which way council wants to go on some ideas.
They can then better understand what necessities are needed.
“The community centre is not just today. It’s for the next 25 to 50 years,” Nicol says. “When we look back in ten years, we don’t want to regret missed opportunities.”
Nicol said the 65-and-older population represents 18 per cent. In 2031, it will make up 34 per cent of the town.
That figure resulted in changes to a previous plan by consultants Leisure Plan, which just included performing arts, minor basketball and hockey.
James Federico, representing Pelham Minor Hockey Association, says membership has increased by 10 to 12 per cent, leaving teams playing and practising outside their community.
Federico talked with Tim Toffolo of the Pelham Panthers about hosting hockey clinics in Pelham, but ice time is unavailable.
Changes to ice pads included increased seating capacity. In the Leisure Plan arena would to seat 777, while a request is for 1,200.
Tofollo says the changes are due to the demand during playoff hockey. More fans come to games during the playoffs, resulting in more revenue.
Nicol says the town had the potential to host bigger events as well, much like the new Meridian Centre. It would still have the smallest capacity in Niagara.
Besides the arena are two basketball courts, which Brian Bleich of Pelham Basketball says could help the current shortage of available courts in the area.
Much like hockey, enrolment increased and lack of rental time prevents home games from being played at home.
Even with two new basketball courts, Bleich says they would be renting the entire week and still need to find gyms in Pelham to play at as the demand grows.
The gymnasium would have curtains to separate the courts, to allowing for anything from badminton to yoga, Bleich says.
Above the gymnasium would be a walking and running track.
Weiner says the location of the track is  changeable. It could be put it in the ice pad or the atrium.
The other change is multipurpose performing arts area.
Jen Benson says the space can fit 400 people for performances and 500 people for events and receptions. The space could host for political debates.
Mayor Dave Augustyn asked if the performing arts section could be a part of the second phase, that would include the second ice pad installation at a later date.
A single pad design would cost $28 million, while the addition of the second pad raises the cost $35 million.
CAO Darren Ottaway said the town would have to hire a cost consultant to determine the price difference between building all now verses later.
Coun. Gary Accursi said it would be best not to rush the process, suggesting a business case to determine the costs of rentals – such as weddings and receptions – before moving forward without knowing if it will make money.
Weiner restated designs were just a starting point, and “flexible” to change.
Nicol says once the Town decides what is approved for the build, the committee, which has met 10 times since last summer, will have a better understanding of direction.
“We want to push it to the limit but also be creative with the design.”