SPCC reopens facility

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/02/2018 (2963 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Families and children can now enjoy a revitalized recreational facility on Radford Street.Sinclair Park Community Centre invited the community to a party to celebrate the reopening of the of its Robertson site located at 665 Radford St. on Jan. 28.

Last fall, the site was temporarily closed for renovations. SPCC executive director Tracy Ball said the building was approximately 54 to 60 years old and had never been repaired before. It was time to make it brighter and better for community residents.

“We sat at a board meeting and said ‘OK, how do we make this much more family-friendly, much more community-friendly?’ so we applied to the City and various other groups for funding to renovate it,” she said.

The cost for the renovation came to a little over $150,000. SPCC applied for several grants, as well as invested some of its own money to complete the work.

“There are big windows and doors. The building is all wheelchair accessible,” Ball told The Times. “It was a very dark space, it has been painted and has new flooring.”

The Robertson location is home to their soccer field in the spring and outdoor rink in the winter. SPCC will be moving their soccer offices to the facility.

The renovation has attracted many families to spend time together at the rink. Because of the upgrades, SPCC wasn’t able to open their outdoor rink, but Coun. Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) and the City granted them a pleasure rink, which is about a quarter of the size of their rink. Ball said the families were happy because “There aren’t the big hockey players that kids are feeling intimidated trying to learn to skate around.”

The newly renovated facility has made it easier for kids to find a place where they can skate and play after school within five minutes from their home, Ball added.

“What we’re finding is we’re seeing a lot of the same kids with their parents, sometimes with an older sibling. People are getting out there and being physically active.”

Another benefit of the renovation is in empowering the community and showing that the City is investing in the North End.

“It’s an investment in our community by the City, and that is always such a plus in the North End. This is an example of the City putting money into our community and trying to help the community build their sense of value,” she said. “Without everybody working together, we wouldn’t have the best possible. It would’ve been something less.”