The Robert A. Steen Memorial Community Centre is moving forward with some much needed upgrades.

On Jan. 18, the city announced a $47,000 grant to the Wolseley club as part of its Community Centre Renovations Grant Program. The money will go towards gym upgrades and numerous flooring improvements throughout the facility, general manager Steven Bemrose said.

Built in the early 1960s, the club was converted from a church and opened in 1991. It hasn’t seen many upgrades since, Bemrose said.

"It’s in dire need of some updating," he said.

A bulk of the money will be spent on gym upgrades, according to Bemrose. That includes replacing five burned-out ceiling lights that have been casting shadows across the gym, installing new commercial grade ceiling fans to help with air circulation, and replacing the gym’s incandescent pot lights with more energy efficient LED lighting.

"If we’re going to have programs running in here, we’re going to need light," Bemrose said.
The gym will also install a new type of tiling at its north and south ends behind the basketball nets, which have taken a beating over the years, said Bemrose.

The club also wants to strip down the gym flooring and repaint its worn down lines, Bemrose added.

The club will be installing anti-slip flooring at its east and west side entrances and replace the carpeting in its fireside room with a new style of linoleum, he added.

"We’re getting quite a bit of work done for the money," said Bemrose.

Bemrose said renovations are planned to start near the end of June and be completed over the summer.

R. A. Steen was one of 12 Winnipeg community centres to receive grants as part of the announcement, with the majority of the $386,000 in announced funds going toward facility renovations and repairs.

It was the only club in west Winnipeg to receive funding.

"We could never do any of this ourselves," Bemrose said, noting the grant is about half of the operating grant the club receives from the city each year.

For more, visit http://robertasteencc.ca.

— Staff