SPECIAL SECTION: Meridian Community Centre Sneak Peek, July 14 2018

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The Voice of Pelham, July 18 2018 Public Open House July 14 2018

The Voice

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Wednesday, July 18 2018

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"Amazing, fabulous, remarkable"

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TOMORROW IS HERE Above, gazing into the future. Visitors take in the view from the Meridian Community Centre's second floor. Below, visitors inquire at reception during Saturday's open house.

DON RICKERS PHOTO

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MCC "sneak peek" wows Saturday open house at new centre draws appreciative reviews

BY DON RICKERS and DAVE BURKET

The VOICE

T

HE OLD PELHAM ARENA sits forlornly on Haist Street.

If the current Town Council has its way, it will soon likely be for sale, having served the community for the last 40 years.

It has featured many memorable events and tournaments over the decades.

But that was then. This is now.

Two new arenas, packaged into a 143,000 sq. ft. community centre bearing the name of its $1 million sponsor, Meridian Credit Union, sits off Highway 20 in East Fonthill. It is, according to its proponents, just what Pelham needs to bolster its hometown economy and spirit.

The public got a “sneak peek” at the facilities last Saturday, as the doors were opened and visitors given self-tour maps to aid in their wandering.

By the end of the event, some 860 guests had come through, according to Mayor Dave Augustyn.

The two arenas (both NHL-size, with seating for 1000 and 100 respectively) are on the ground floor, along with a multipurpose gymnasium, change rooms, washrooms, and an expansive atrium lobby open to the second floor.

A walking track, special functions area, offices, a community meeting room, and a large multi-purpose space with kitchen are on the second level.

Given the green light in spring 2016, the centre is predicted to open on-time and on-budget by its Oversight Committee. Ball Construction built the facility, which was designed by Petroff Partnership Architecture.

The interior is sleekly modern with industrial touches, the colour palette mostly muted shades of white, tan, and gray. As Town Council intended, when it called for a “world-class” design, the facility’s international style could as easily double as an airport terminal in Stockholm, or a corporate headquarters in Dallas.

The facility shone on Saturday, despite overcast skies and intermittent rain showers. A steady stream of visitors arrived over the course of the four-hour open house.

Mayor Dave Augustyn was in the foyer, greeting guests. A man waved to him and said, “Super job—above my expectations.”

Noah Sabourin and his father Tim are from St. Catharines, but they were on site to check out the new ice surfaces.

“It’s a huge difference, compared to the old rink,” said Noah, a minor hockey player. His dad added, “It’s a beautiful facility, with great change rooms. We travel for a lot of tournaments, and you always appreciate modern change rooms.”

A senior citizen, who did not want to be named, said, “Two rinks let you have tournaments here in Pelham, which means less travel and cost for our local families. And it’s a revenue source for our town.”

Two older gentlemen commented, “It’s an impressive building, and hopefully will be good for the community…as long as they have the people to fill it. Families with young children will certainly appreciate it, but there are a lot of seniors in the area who may have limited use of it.”

Pelham Town Council candidate Sidney Beamer had mixed views.

“There’s a lot here that we can work with,” she said. “Although I think that if they had installed health department-approved kitchens, it would have allowed for a greater variety of functions.”

Senior Olya Schwadschenko, who has the aid of a walker, thought that there might be accessibility concerns for those with limited mobility.

“It’s a long way to the parking lot, with few handicapped spots,” she said. “I think the building is beautiful, but don’t know yet if I can use it.”

Four other seniors, who also preferred not to be identified, were disappointed that the centre had no pool.

“This facility, with its rinks and gym, is for the kids,” said one man.

“We wanted a pool. The YMCA in Welland is very congested, and the Fonthill outdoor pool only operates in the summer. We’ve been vocal about our opposition to the design since the beginning. There are a lot of people over 60 in this community—are any of us going to use the arenas? We’re disappointed they didn’t take the existing demographics more into consideration.”

The man’s wife added, “The Town felt there was adequate consultation with the public, but we feel it was already a done deal. Our friends just moved here from Kenora, which has the same population as Fonthill, and that town has just built a beautiful facility with a great rink and pool, a children’s pool, a physical therapist room, and gymnasium. It better serves all in their community.”

Mayor Augustyn said he had heard complaints about the lack of a pool in the design countless times.

“The whole facility is based on a business case analysis that we worked on for of a number of years, included a telephone survey, and data from user groups. The report indicated that we had demand for 100% prime-time ice on one rink, and 70% on a second pad. We now have 100% sold prime time ice on one pad, and 95% on the other.”

Augustyn acknowledged that residents wanted a local pool.

“They expressed that desire, but they’re not willing to pay for it.

Costs would have been another six or seven million dollars to put a pool in, plus a million annually to operate it. Which was outlandish, because we didn’t have the sustaining demand for it. So that’s why we didn’t include a pool. Maybe a hotel will be built in the area and will have a pool available—but a pool is so expensive, and given the proximity of other pools it just didn’t make good business sense.”

Augustyn was jubilant on the topic of operating costs, saying, “We expect the new community centre to be well under the maintenance cost threshold that council set, which was $200,000. I expect the net cost to be closer to the $100,000 mark. There are all kinds of efficiencies in this new building.”

The $36.2 million, 143,000square-foot facility’s completion has involved a community fundraising campaign, with a $3-million target over 95 percent attained, according to the Town.

While serious questions remain over the centre’s economics, and its financial sustainability in the long term, such issues took a back seat on Saturday.

The delighted faces of young athletes—8, 10, 16 years old—as they got their first glimpses of two mint-condition arenas, and a perfectly polished, enormous gymnasium, spoke volumes. As imagined whistles blew, and future final buzzers sounded, glory was in their eyes, and it looked wonderful. ◆

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Left, looking east from the upper floor during construction, August 2017.

Above, a similar perspective today. The blue lanes are a walking track, which will be available for public use starting this Friday, when the building opens on its regular schedule of 7 AM to 10 PM, seven days a week.

Note: Remove previous pages to see full panorama.

DAVE BURKET PHOTOS

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The Voice of Pelham, July of 18 Pelham 2018 The Voice

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Left, the gymnasium under construction last August, and top left, today. Top right, Nathan and Liam Gojmerac dream of basketball championships to come. Right center, Peter and Stephanie Moore, owners of Peter Piper's Pub, with kids Bryce, Chase, and Brooke, in front of the change room they've sponsored. Above, the Voice's own Office Manager, Lori Gretsinger, with husband, Rick, getting comfy. DAVE BURKET PHOTOS

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The Voice of Pelham

MERIDIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE SPECIAL SECTION The Voice of Pelham, July 18 2018

FROM PAPER TO CONCRETE Below, Ground Floor plans, and, right, concrete blocks are put in place, August 2017. Above, elevator shafts take form, February 2017. Top, the North Lobby on Saturday.

DON RICKERS AND DAVE BURKET PHOTOS

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July 18 2018

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Pelham Town Council reacts Mayor Dave Augustyn We received overwhelmingly positive (98%) commendations from the 860 people who toured the MCC today. Staff and the volunteers and professional consultants and donors who designed, built, and funded our amazing community home deserve every one of the smiles, hugs, and fist pumps that councillors and I received today.

Councillor Gary Accursi The Meridian Community Centre is an amazing facility that will become the hub of social, cultural and recreational activity for the entire community; from youngsters to seniors. It will transform how community members interact; will provide programs and activities for children, teens, adults and seniors and will be a source of pride for the entire community. It will be the home for our champions; whatever their endeavours. The centre was designed by the community for the community and my thanks to all the volunteers and staff who worked so hard to bring this tremendous project to reality.

Members of the ADAC Committee and the Oversight Committee deserve special thanks. On time and on budget as well! What a fantastic accomplishment! This is truly unheard of in the municipal world. To all our donors: thank you for supporting your community of today and of the future. The Meridian Community Centre will stand as a testament to what can be achieved by a small town! While I am excited by the promise that the centre holds, I am also cognizant of the challenges that the operations bring. We all—Council, staff and the public—must work together to achieve our business plan which I believe is realistic. We must and will oversee the operations with the same diligence that the capital project was managed. I am convinced by doing that, we will achieve the same outstanding success.

With the community’s support we can achieve our goal! I remain, as always,“Pelham Proud.”

Councillor John Durley Amazing, fabulous, remarkable, beautiful, fantastic, are all adjectives that were spoken at the Pelham Meridian Centre open house on Saturday. While walking through the MCC, these are the words that I heard from the 860 folks that visited the centre. So proud that we now have a "gathering place" for folks of all ages to enjoy. The new multi-use facility will go a long way to help bring our fabulous community together. Groups looking to find a venue for any and all activities will have endless opportunities at this centre. I am so impressed with the final outcome of this plan, it is much more than I expected. So beautifully done and on time and within budget. Kudos to staff, builders, oversight committee and all who contributed.

Councillor Catherine King The result of choreographing a project of such magnitude deserves nothing less than kudos to all parties who have made the MCC a reality! I have received nothing but positive response from residents that have taken the opportunity to tour the facility. It is well- appointed and the anticipation of the “opening” is mounting. Great job done by all involved...ahead of schedule and below budget.

Councillor Peter Papp The Meridian Community Centre represents and embraces all of the principles and resources to engage our Pelham community as a truly “Aging in Place“ for our young to our seniors. It will serve as the beacon and the standard for other complementary development for the contemporary and the future. Congratulations to all of our past and current Council, staff, volunteer citizens and all donors who helped this building become a reality!

Top, Mayor Dave Augustyn presents East Fonthill to Karen Kettle and her daughters Kaityn and Ashley. Center, former Mayor Ron Leavens, left, with Pelham's Regional Councillor Brian Baty. Leavens spearheaded the purchase of the East Fonthill lands in the early 2000s. Of the centre, Leavens said, "Absolutely awesome. It's nice to have a community centre, and even better when it's done right. I think they did a first-class job." After a pause, Leavens smiled and added, "I also told the councillors it's time to save up for an indoor pool." Above, former Pelham Town Councillor and federal MP Malcolm Allen, left, with Fonthill Quik Fit owner and former Rotary President Frank Adamson. Asked if the rumours of a mayoral run were true, Allen said, "I have the paperwork, but I haven't made a decision yet."

DAVE BURKET PHOTOS

Councillor Richard Rybiak Pelham's Meridian Community Centre is a tremendous civic achievement and a testament to the people of Pelham. Our residents identified the need for a better and larger hub for community activities years ago, and then participated in the development of a business plan, the design of the facility, the oversight of the construction of the project, and even the direct donation of funding to support the plan. Elected successive councils kept a focus on the objective, developed a sensible financial plan, created a project development plan, but, while Council and staff of the Town may have managed the process, credit for this achievement goes to our population who saw the need, provided the resources, encouraged continued progress through issues and impediments, ultimately creating reality out of the vision of a place in which to pursue recreational and cultural activities for generations to come. Pelham's strategic plan includes a vision that we be the "most vibrant, innovative, and caring community in Niagara.” The accomplishment of the MCC is clearly a demonstration of all aspects of that vision. Congratulations to all of us in Pelham for a job well done.

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The Voice of Pelham, July 18 2018 MERIDIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE SPECIAL SECTION

SPACE TO SPARE Top, the Gary and Mall Accursi Multipurpose Community Room. The 1854 sq. ft. space can be divided for multiple uses at once.

At $300,000, the Accursis are the largest private donors to the centre. Below, the Kinsmen Community Meeting Room. Bottom right, the Upper Arena Lobby. Right, kitchen facilities attached to the Accursi Community Room. DON RICKERS AND DAVE BURKET PHOTOS

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