St. James Civic Centre prepares for upgrades

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This article was published 17/03/2020 (2257 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The St. James Civic Centre is about to undergo upgrades that will be close the community hub for at least one year but a local politician and some residents want to know if a proposed expansion will ever be undertaken.

The facility at 2055 Ness Ave. is set to close on April 1 and eopen in the summer of 2021. Arena operations will likely resume in September 2021.

Built in 1966, the Civic Centre has several aging systems that need to be replaced. The City of Winnipeg has approved a $9.7 million budget to replace critical mechanical and electrical systems, replace two roofs, repair the concrete arena slab and bring the building systems up to code. Other work will include repurposing the second floor into a new mechanical and electrical room, as well as adding a new material lift to provide better access to basement storage areas. A fire suppression system will also be installed.To enhance accessibility, improvements will be made to the lobby and lobby washrooms, and a universal toilet room will be added.

A proposed 14,000-square-foot facility expansion might also be undertaken as a future project but for now only a portion of funding for that  project has been secured. It would cost an additional $14 million to be cost-shared among the three levels of government. So far, the City has approved $4.312 million, subject to provincial and federal funding.

St. James MLA Adrien Salawould like to see clear funding commitments for the expansion project in place from both the provincial and federal governments. 

“I think the whole community deserves clarity on the future of the project. We’re really happy that the City is clearly prioritizing the renovations at the Civic Centre, but there’s still a lot of confusion about the future of the building,” Sala said. 

“It’s leaving a lot of people feeling confused and wondering how long the building will be closed and how they’ll plan to meet their family’s recreational needs. It seems highly unusual to start a project without knowledge of whether or not the second part of the project is going forward.”

If the proposed expansion does go ahead, it would include several multi-purpose and meeting rooms, along with dedicated administrative space for St. James Assiniboia 55-plus Centre. Other improvements would focus on the auditorium, main entrance and washrooms, along with the development of a community kitchen.

For now, however, the expansion phase remains on hold; if funding is made available, it would take an estimated three years to complete. In July 2018, the provincial government announced a commitment of up to $3.9 million towards the expansion and renovation of the St. James Civic Centre. The city has also applied for funding through the federal government’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Similarly, St. James resident John Pidwerbesky would like to know more information about the future of the community hub. He hopes the project will include additional space at the St. James Civic Centre for the 55-plus Centre, since parking is an issue at Deer Lodge Centre, where the 55-plus group is now based.

“I think there would be a lot more participation if people could simply drive up and go into the Civic Centre because there’s lots of parking there,” he said.

“Delays are always a concern. They’ve been talking about it for a long time.”