The H.G.R. Mews Community Centre

The replacement for the Wedgewood Park Community Centre is the first of three, large recreation infrastructure projects for the City of St. John’s. “The plans are in the works and hopefully construction will start in 2017 for a replacement for the Mews Centre,” said Mayor Dennis O’Keefe on Wednesday. “Maybe at that location (of the existing centre) or somewhere very, very near that location.” According to The Telegram archives, when a replacement for the Mews Centre at Mundy Pond was discussed in 2012, there were suggestions made it be located at the site of the former Metrobus depot on Freshwater Road. The plan now is for the former bus depot to become the new, permanent home of the St. John’s Farmer’s Market. Wherever a replacement for the H.G.R. Mews Community Centre lands, it will be the second facility of three on tap. The third will be a recreation centre for the city’s expanding reach in the west — supporting growth in the Goulds, Kilbride and Southlands. “Going into 2018-19, we plan to announce a new facility, the beginning of a new facility for the West End,” O’Keefe said. “This is a very achievable and very realistic plan.” While costs are not nailed down yet, O’Keefe said the money is available to move forward on a new Mews Centre next year. The city will be looking for the provincial and federal governments to partner on that project, he added. “Hopefully we’ll have some partners in the final end of all of these facilities.”