Kitchener’s ‘smallest community centre’ likely getting replaced

The Williamsburg Community Centre will be keeping its name while the rest of the facility will change completely. The centre is located in the Rosenberg area and is noted by city staff as the “smallest community centre” in the city.

The whole project is estimated to cost $8,125,000. If that budget is approved by Kitchener City Council, the centre will grow from 3,000 sq. ft. to 17,000 sq. ft. at a location in the same area.

The city partnered with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) for the project, meaning the school board will help foot the bill. City staff said money for the project will come from development charges.

The project was unanimously voted in during a Community and Infrastructure Services Committee meeting last Monday by Kitchener councillors. Sharing the costs for the build will save money, said city staff during the committee meeting. The budget for the community centre has grown by over $ 2 million since the initial concept was introduced to council.

The report by city staff states, “This small size does not accommodate the existing programming demands, which are growing significantly as the population in the area grows.”

The new centre will house four new program spaces, a lobby and a double gymnasium.

Councillor Bil Ioannidis asked staff for a project timeline, but staff replied that it was up to the school board to decide, as part of the partnership.

“This area, as we all know, is ballooning, and this community centre should ideally be here today. And so, any delays or anything like that is just going to put that much further pressure on other centres,” said Ioannidis.

 “If there’s anything that we can do to help push those timelines, you know, I’d be willing and happy to help, whatever it is.”

Kitchener’s Mayor, Berry Vrbanovic, said he was thrilled with the proposal and to see the project being approved during the committee meeting. He added that Southwest Kitchener has seen its fair share of investments lately, including a new recreation complex being built in the area.

“The other point I will make is just, the kinds of partnerships we have been able to establish, both with the public-school board and the separate school board, this happens to be with the separate one, have really been beneficial I think to ratepayers, to our community, to our schools.”

The project’s budget will be up for final approval at a Kitchener City Council meeting on April 29.