School by day, community centre on nights, weekends

Kitchener finding new ways to provide recreation space in fast-growing areas

KITCHENER — Sharing space with schools is proving to be a way for Kitchener to inexpensively provide community recreation space in fast-growing areas of the city.

The Chicopee Hills area is one of the fastest-growing neighbourhoods in Waterloo Region, according to newly released census data, but there are no plans — or budget — to build a community centre there for at least 10 years.

City recreation staff have entered into an agreement to have first access to use the gym at Chicopee Hills public school, which is set to open this fall at the corner of Fairway Road and Lackner Boulevard.

The agreement, which runs until July 2022, gives the city first access to the gym, after the school and school board, making it much easier to plan programming, said Mark Hildebrand, Kitchener’s director of community programs.

The access comes at a bargain rate: the city gets the gym free of charge for up to three evenings a week, plus Saturday mornings, as well as the use of the library once a month for community meetings. Its only costs are to pay for a custodian on Saturdays, as well as the costs of installing any equipment storage.

Schools open their doors to community groups all the time, but this agreement, drawn up even before the school is built, is unusual.

“We’re already in the business of providing school facilities for community use,” said Nick Manning, the spokesperson for the Waterloo Region District School Board. “It’s an easy fit for us to offer Kitchener that space if they believe they need it.”

Starting in September, city recreation staff will consult with residents to find out what sorts of city programming they want at Chicopee Hills.

Recreational services are also lacking in Huron Woods, a booming part of south Kitchener, where city staff are asking council for approval to look into the costs and benefits of sharing space with a planned Catholic school.

The Waterloo Region Catholic School Board plans to build a school in the Huron Woods area, south of Huron Road near Woodbine Avenue.

A community centre there would serve almost 11,000 people, and the area is expected to be home to almost 30,000 people as it builds out.

The city would have to pay any costs to build the community centre portion of the building, but has no money set aside for a community centre in that area in its 10-year capital forecast.

“We don’t have any dollars set aside, but there’s an opportunity to investigate what the partnership might cost,” Hildebrand said.

Sharing a space with another facility can be quite efficient, Hildebrand said. The cost per square foot is usually cheaper for a larger building, he said, so a joint project could be cheaper for both the city and the school board. Both could also benefit by sharing things like a double gym, which would mainly be used by the school during school hours and by the community at other times, he said.

“We’re always interested in exploring partnership opportunities that help make the best use of tax dollars for the entire community,” said Catholic board spokesperson John Shewchuck, citing shared spaces at St. Daniel and at St. Mary’s high school. “We know from experience a little creativity and cooperation can often lead to the creation of great community assets.”

These types of agreements tie in with the new direction from the province, which encourages schools to look for more ways to share their space with other community groups.

It’s a trend that just makes sense, Hildebrand said.

“You could potentially see a school in use straight from 8:30 in the morning until 11 o’clock at night, which is a good use of a public facility. I think it just animates the community better.”