Could half of future multiplex be built in Galt’s east end?

Fall debate includes option to split controversial facility

CAMBRIDGE — There’s a large swath of undeveloped land on the east edge of Galt. Thousands of new homes are expected to crop up there, along with new schools, a library and a community centre with gyms and a pool.

That proposed community centre could be the future multiplex, or at least part of it.

Council will consider the merits of splitting the proposed all-in-one facility this fall as the debate on where to put the city’s divisive multimillion-dollar project continues.

A 10-acre portion of the 33-acre joint project in southeast Galt was recommended by staff as a possible spot for a pool and gyms with the option to build ice pads elsewhere.

The joint project was first proposed several years ago on cityowned land east of Wesley Boulevard and south of Main Street. A southeast Galt community centre was proposed to serve as a neighbourhood recreation facility, but the entire project is years away from fruition.

“The concept is there, but no plans are drawn up yet,” said Hardy Bromberg, deputy city manager in Cambridge.

A few thousand new homes are planned in that area. The region is studying a new north-south boundary road there. Both school boards anticipate building new schools and the Idea Exchange plans to put in a new library branch.

A city-owned community centre would round out the neighbourhood and fill the area’s recreation needs.

That’s why ward councillor Frank Monteiro doesn’t like this new option up for debate.

“A community centre is one thing and the multiplex is another,” he said.

Monteiro thinks the soon-to-be-developed neighbourhoods in southeast Galt will need their own community hub. It wouldn’t be fair to use that spot to house a multiplex that should be located elsewhere and serve the needs of the whole city.

“It’s not the right place for the multiplex. It doesn’t belong in neighbourhoods,” he said.

He also mentioned the old John Dolson Centre’s pool in east Galt. It may require expensive upgrades; but it could be slated for closure. The city’s recreation facility needs assessment done in 2015 identified the possibility of replacing the pool in the future. The report said a new community centre in southeast Galt would fill that void.

Monteiro still thinks Conestoga College is the best location for it and he still thinks the facility needs to be in one piece.

“I still haven’t changed my mind,” he said.

The choice to split the multiplex was presented to council in June. It came after politicians asked staff to examine splitting the facility instead of building a massive complex in one place.

So city staff recommended the dormant southeast Galt project as a possible spot for half of the amenities, as well as a public call for proposals to build ice pads somewhere else.

“I think it’s a great recommendation. The city is growing in that direction,” Coun. Nicholas Ermeta said.

Since the contentious debate on the proposed multiplex’s location first began, Ermeta has been in the “anywhere but Conestoga College” camp.

Many residents rallied against the first proposed college site for the multiplex last year and asked council to consider other locations for the facility, which will house a pool, triple gym, meeting rooms and multiple ice pads.

Opponents argued the college campus — south of Highway 401 and close to Kitchener — is too far for most residents. The southeast Galt land on the other hand is far from central to the city. It’s in the complete opposite direction.

Ermeta doesn’t think that will pose a problem if the facility is split into two.

“What I’m hearing from the community is that they want a facility. If the pool and gyms are in the south end we could have ice pads in the north end. It’s something worth considering.”

The joint southeast Galt project is still years away from becoming a reality. Right now, the whole project hinges on the Region of Waterloo’s plans for a new boundary road to connect Dundas Street to Townline Road.

A preferred route is undergoing an environmental assessment and the region plans to host an open house this fall. The new road may not receive council approval until next year.

“People can’t really start to develop yet — and then we’ll expect to see servicing in the area,” Bromberg said.

New schools will need to look at growth in the area, plan accordingly and get ministry approval. A new library branch will also have to wait to see how the area develops. And a new community centre or half of the future multiplex will also have to wait.

“It’s all intertwined,” Bromberg added.

Funding for the multiplex project was already moved to 2020’s budget.

Cambridge politicians will spend the rest of the summer contemplating where to put it. They were presented with four options, including one to split the facility in two and build half of the multiplex in southeast Galt and half elsewhere. The other three options include:

Stick with the college land lease that was deferred by council last spring. The $2.5-million lease of 17 acres of land would be for a 60-year period.

Cancel the project and start over with an updated facility needs assessment in 2018. The last needs assessment was done in 2015.

Pick one of four shortlisted locations for the multiplex recommended by a special task force that conducted public surveys and open houses. The four sites will need to be purchased and studied before any work can begin. They include 271 Hespeler Rd.; 0-112 Pinebush Rd.; 220 Pinebush Rd.; and a site at the corner of Franklin Boulevard and Savage Drive.

A special council meeting to debate the multiplex location is scheduled for Oct. 2.