A new home for Klinic

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This article was published 16/04/2018 (2760 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than 100 people came out to say hello to the new neighbours and give their opinions on the development of Klinic Community Health’s new location at 167 Sherbrook St.

Klinic and Sexuality Education Resource Centre (SERC) held a joint open house on Thurs., April 12, to show off their new combined location and get public input before renovations begin.

“The response has been really positive,” said Klinic’s executive director, Nicole Chammartin. “There’s certainly been a lot of support for us being back in west Broadway, which is really where Klinic’s roots are.”

“Our volunteers are especially excited about this space, how large it is, and how much light it lets in.”

The building — formerly occupied by EPIC Information Solutions Inc. — is considerably bigger than Klinic’s previous location at 545 Broadway.

The old space totalled around 21,000 square-feet, while the new location will have around 36,000 square-feet between the first and second floor, and a sizeable basement.

It will also have 18 exam rooms – up 10 from the previous location – as well as three rooms for group therapy, five rooms for drop-in counselling, and just over 30 counselling rooms.

It will also feature an Indigenous consultation room with vents specially made to allow for smudging ceremonies, and an art therapy display room.

A handful of architects from ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design were also on hand to give tours and share their design plans.

One of the first things principal architect Jerald Peters pointed out during one of the tours was the maze-like layout of the office space, which they intend to do away with by straightening out many of the corridors.

He said one of their main priorities was to make the space easily accessible and welcoming.

“Klinic is a place where everybody is served and nobody is turned away,” Peters said. “So that really set the tone for the design. We want people to feel welcome, safe, and connected to the community so that was a big part of the design concept.”

The biggest changes to the building will be the addition of an elevator right in the main entranceway, as well as a total overhaul of the warehouse portion on the north end.

The former warehouse will be given a floor separating the upper and lower halves to maximize office space.

“I think those are the biggest changes in terms of dollars spent,” Peters said. “But I think we also want to make sure the building has a new identity. People will recognize this building, so the other important part is the exterior.”

ft3’s design plans show a lot of wooden elements will be added to the front of the building, as well as hanging flowers and plants.

Chammartin said much of the financing came from the sale of their previous building on Broadway to West Broadway Community Organization. She added their other location at 870 Portage Ave. is still on the market.

The final design plan for the new Klinic building will be unveiled at the annual general meeting in June.

Construction is expected to begin over the summer and Chammartin said they plan to have the doors open by July 2019.