A new community centre planned for Coquitlam’s Maillardville neighbourhood will be a little more expensive than initially thought.
The estimated price tag for a rebuilt Place Maillardville has risen to $23.4 million after council voted to add an additional $1.4 million to the base budget. A final design has also been approved for the project, which is slated to be completed in 2022.
“This is going to be a major facility in Maillardville,” said Coun. Steve Kim during an online council meeting earlier this month. “I think the anticipation and the investment by the city into this neighbourhood will be extremely welcome.”
Renaming the facility from Place Maillardville to the Maillardville Community Centre is also being considered.
According to a staff report, the change has the support of the Société Place Maillardville Society and would help differentiate the building from the nearby Place des Arts.
However, some at the council table were caught off guard by the proposal.
Mayor Richard Stewart put forward an amendment which was supported by council to consult with residents before the new name is finalized.
“It was the first the community heard of it,” said Stewart. “I get how these things can happen somewhat suddenly… I think we owe it to a community to at least include them in the dialogue.”
A replacement for the 40-year-old Place Maillardville has been discussed at council since 2015.
The design for the 22,000 sq. ft. facility approved earlier this month includes a gym, multi-purpose spaces, a lounge for seniors and young people, as well as meeting rooms. There will also be office spaces, underground parking and an outdoor plaza.
When it is complete, the centre will offer an array of programming, like drop-in youth sports, a teaching kitchen and athletic programs.
“The site is envisioned as a community hub for the surrounding neighbourhood,” staff said in a report to council. “[Design firm] TKA+D has also looked to the existing architecture in the Maillardville community, the history of Maillardville, and more specifically Laval Square, to inform the architectural expression.”
Because the new building is being built on vacant land next to the old structure, staff said programs can continue during construction to accommodate the community centre’s 10,000 visitors a year.
Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, while a design for the outdoor plaza will come before council later in the spring. Work on the building should be completed by 2022, with the demolition of the old facility and the construction of a plaza slated for 2023.
