Seniors’ rec centre reopens
Members of the Choralaires seniors choir performed Friday afternoon in the same gym they narrowly escaped a year and a half ago when the roof collapsed.
The Northgate Lions Seniors Recreation Centre celebrated its reopening Friday at a ceremony that drew about 360 guests, mainly recreation-centre members, community partners and volunteers who helped rebuild the centre and keep programs running after the roof collapse Jan. 25, 2011.
It’s a day many people will never forget, said Rob Smyth, branch manager with community and recreation facilities for the City of Edmonton.
“When you look at the photographs of the damage, you realize how remarkable it was that nobody was injured …” Smyth told the crowd Friday.
The building is now more accessible, with wider doorways, washroom improvements and a new replacement elevator that can stop on the gym stage, Smyth said.
Mayor Stephen Mandel joked that he calls it the “Caterina elevator” in honour of city Coun. Tony Caterina, who pushed city council to fund the elevator.
Staff and volunteers worked hard after the roof collapse to offer recreation centre programming out of five community league buildings and two churches with some access to the Clareview recreation centre and the public library, said Hugh Newell, chairman of the board for the North Edmonton Seniors Association.
It was difficult, he said. “Next week our programs will start again. We have almost 400 programs run throughout the year and I’m told about 130,000 hours of program time … .”
Work to fix the 48,000-squarefoot recreation centre built in 1974, at 7524 139th Ave., cost $5.8 million, most of that covered by insurance.
The Choralaires were singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious during a regular rehearsal in the building’s gym in January 2011 when there was a loud cracking noise. Facility manager Maggie Nichol remembers hearing the loud thump that prompted staff to hurry people out of the building.
“We had about a minute and a half …” Nichol recalled.