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Centennial Community Centre Expansion

The Centennial Community Centre was state of the art when it was built as part of Markham's Centennial Celebrations.  However, the needs of Markham have changed dramatically since then, and Council voted to upgrade and expand the building to meet those needs.  The plan was to return it to a state of the art facility with new and expanded programs, by the end of 2006.  Parts of the centre are now open and I am proud of the new Fitness Centre which is a large, open, bright, well equipped fitness facility.  But there have been problems.

It is most unfortunate that there have been difficulties with the Contractor and the past design of the Centennial Centre.

There was a fundamental choice that had to be made at the beginning of any construction: Do we close the facility during construction, or do we try to keep it open as best we can?  

I still believe that the correct choice was to keep the facility open even though it has created some situations that one resident referred to as "The debacle unfolding at the fitness centre".  However, Alan Wolfe and his team have been doing a tremendous job in trying to keep the project going.  The option of bringing in a brand new contractor would have slowed the process by weeks, if not months, while they came up to speed.  Under the close scrutiny of Mr. Wolfe, new people have been brought on site where necessary and the project is proceeding without closing.   The Council, the Staff, and the current construction organization all understand the justifiable anger that is felt when a project does not run on schedule, and each of us wish this situation was not happening.   But 'wishing' doesn't make the problems go away and I'm happy to say that changes are being made.

I attended a meeting of the Building and Parks Committee on Friday, and am confident that the project is still progressing.  The front doors and main lobby will be opened in February which will certainly assist with the flow of patrons.  Our challenge will be to provide an easy entrance for those using the rink during the construction of the gymnasium and bocce courts.  We can start by using one of the Fire Doors as an entrance, but even that will create a problem as we move forward.  Safety is the most important factor.

Our Senior Staff has instituted regular meetings with the Centennial Centre Staff so concerns and input can be discussed and implemented.  By month end there will be a Customer Care card so that the individual concerns, comments and ideas of patrons can be addressed by the Senior Staff of the Town, and will be responded to within 2 business days.

I will be updating this page as information becomes available.

Update

March 12 2007 The front doors were opened at the end of last week.  Staff have moved into their new office areas and their will be access to
the arenas from the front lobby.

March 16 2007  Problems with Access to Squash Courts has been brought to my attention. Unfortunately the rear door of the building must be closed to complete the remainder of the project.  Therefore, access to the Squash Courts from these doors will not be available.  Indoor access is difficult due to the locations of the courts.

There is no safe available area to provide an indoor access route from the courts to the new fitness change rooms without conflicting with the construction. The only access available is via the current pool entrance and using the existing pool change rooms.  The staff and I recognize that this is not ideal, but due to the construction, the internal options via the construction can't be done.

I apologize for the inconvenience but I still believe that the decision made a year ago to keep the facility open during construction was the correct one.

March 28 2007  It appears that the users of the Squash Courts disagree with the decisions that have been made.  The Town can't safely meet their expectations, so the only choice is to close the Squash Courts.  A letter has been sent to each of those involved with options about how to refund their money.  It is most unfortunate.

Update  An agreement has been reached and the Squash Courts are open.  We all look forward to the end of construction.

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