Town seeking input on centre’s fate

The Westside Community Centre’s fate may be up in the air.
A long-standing recreational and community gathering spot for years, the centre came under the ownership of the Town of New Glasgow in April 2011. It is run by a board of directors, however, the poor condition of the building has recently come to light making its future uncertain.
The town sent a letter to residents of the west side informing them of a meeting tonight, February 15 to discuss the situation and the options available.
Air quality tests indicated the air was acceptable, however, there were visible signs of mould and water leaks; the building has poor insulation, a new roof system is required as are new doors and windows.
The town and community development department worked together on a possible upgrade with the board of directors including an expansion that would allow the 55 Plus club to reside in the community centre as they currently have no permanent home. Because of these serious setbacks the project that was supposed to have cost $300,000 to $500,000 will now cost more than $950,000 says Geralyn MacDonald, director of community development for the Town of New Glasgow.
“We received positive reaction that this vision might work,” explains MacDonald referring to the meeting last year, but says the cost may not be feasible.
“Both groups would have to fund raise and we don’t know where we would get the remainder of the funding,” she says.
Tonight’s information session will be an opportunity to receive input from the residents on their vision for the centre and the site.
“There are several options, but ultimately the community has to make the decisions,” says MacDonald.
As to whether that means doing all of the repairs, or tearing the building down and starting from scratch, she says, “It has to come from the community, what they would like to see happen. Even though the town owns it, it’s the community’s building and it’s not being utilized in the capacity it could be because of its condition.”
Kim Dickson, director of Marketing and Communications for the Town of New Glasgow says, “It’s a very cherished tradition and the town recognizes and respects that. The needs of the community and interest have changed over time and we need to keep pace.”
It is hoped the meeting will give the town a good idea of how the community feels about the building and what it means to them, bearing in mind there will be a new state-of-the-art tennis court with a turf surface opening behind the centre in the spring.
“The tennis courts were a $100,000 project with a goal of bringing tennis back to the Town of New Glasgow,” says MacDonald. “It’s an opportunity re-introduce the sport to children and adults and there will be room to sit and watch so that opens the door for tournaments as well.”
The Westside community centre also had outdoor fitness equipment installed recently.
“It’s time to take a serious look at the centre and its future,” she says.