Seniors’ centre closed during renovations

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This article was published 25/10/2017 (3130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It started with a leaky roof, but now the Transcona Retired Citizens Organization find themselves out of a home for the foreseeable future as major renovations and repairs of their building at 328 Whittier Ave. West are underway.

“We’ve been having problems with the roof as long as I’ve been there,” explained Yvonne Boisclair, president of the TRCO. “But it really started to be a problem a year ago, where the water was leaking into the light fixtures.”

The group, which leases the building from the City of Winnipeg, put in a request for a roof replacement in the early summer. When the work finally began in September, it was discovered that there were more problems than a leaky roof to deal with.

“Once they got inside to do the repairs for the leakage, they found asbestos and mould,” Boisclair said.

The TRCO centre provides a number of recreational activities to its more than 200 members, including a popular weekly soup and sandwich lunch every Tuesday.

“The centre is open all week, we have pool, cards, tai chi, Scottish dancing, darts, garden club uses our facility,” Boisclair said. “We do bingo once a week, soup and sandwich every Tuesday. Half the men in our group are in a band, so they’re always there, they leave their equipment there.”

“You’re bored at home, what else can you do?” added Beverly Marko, the group’s treasurer. “At the centre, you can socialize and have fun with other people.”

The weekly lunches and all the other programming were cancelled so that abatement and repair crews could safely deal with the mould and asbestos in the building.

“That abatement has been done, that’s cleared,” Boisclair reports. “But now, they said because of the building’s age and all that needed to be done, it all needs to be updated.”

The building’s electrical, ventilation, and safety systems are all due for an upgrade, and the roof work is still being completed. As a result, the TRCO is expecting its programming will be on hold until at least early January, if not longer.

“We have events booked all the time,” Boisclair said, adding that she and the executive are working to find alternate space for their members to play cards, darts, and pool. Their annual Christmas party, scheduled for Dec. 5, is likely to be cancelled.

Luckily, the Transcona Memorial United Church (209 Yale Ave. W) has stepped up to host two of the centre’s big events: St. Joseph the Worker’s Christmas Wish List Fair on Nov. 18, and St. George’s Bazaar on Nov. 25. Both events run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We are forever in their debt,” Boisclair said.

Despite the set back, the TRCO executive remains upbeat, and looks forward to the reopening of the centre in the new year.

“You have to suffer to be beautiful, my mother’s been telling me that since I was 10,” Boisclair said with a laugh. “When it’s done, everything should be all up to date, up to code.”

Vice-president Arlene Da Silva hopes to see more new members join once the centre reopens.

“Pretty much every day other than Friday we’re there,” she said. “We socialize with new comers, and hope we make them welcome.”

“The City has been very good to us over the years,” Boisclair added. “They take care of everything for us. We don’t want them to think we don’t appreciate the work they’ve done.”

Membership in the Transcona Retired Citizens Organization is only $15 a year. For more information, contact Yvonne at 204-781-3943.

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