New Kingsdale Community Centre officially opens
By Carrie Debrone
Kitchener Citizen
The final goal has been scored. The rebuilt Patrick J. Doherty (Wilson) Arena is now officially the Kingsdale Community Centre and home to the Kingsdale Neighbourhood Association.
The City of Kitchener’s 13th community centre, which may be the most architecturally distinctive community centre in the region, opened October 22 with a ribbon cutting, children’s activities, speeches and refreshments.
The former Kingsdale Community Centre was operated for nine years from a set of portables adjacent to the new centre that people sometimes mistook as city storage buildings or a garage. It struggled to provide programs for the 4,500 people it serves every year in the area bound by Courtland Avenue, Fairway Road South, Highway 8 and the Expressway and, because of limited space, used to run many of its community programs out of nearby churches and schools.
The new centre is owned and maintained by the city of Kitchener and operates in partnership with the Kingsdale Community Association and the House of Friendship, which share responsibility for programming and volunteers.
“I was here when they first opened the arena 25 years ago in 1966. And here I am again today at this opening,” laughed Betty York, an area neighbour who volunteered to help at the grand opening.
Alma Martin, who has been a resident in the area for 52 years, said she used to watch her grandsons play hockey at the former arena.
“There are so many changes,” she said, viewing the new centre for the first time.
“I think it’s beautiful. It should have been here long ago. There are a lot of children in this area and a lot of community events. It think the new playground is great and this centre will bring families closer together,” said neighbour Marilyn Knopf.
“It’s surreal. You think of watching hockey and skating in this arena. Now it’s all changed. It’s just a lovely centre and I think it will be well used. It appeals to people of a lot of different ages and we’re getting new young families moving in all the time. It’s a great neighbourhood,” said Marion Cooper who has lived in the area for 20 years.
“It’s just like home here. It’s so big compared to the old centre. I love it here,” said volunteer Madge Cormier.
As many projects start out, the idea for a new Kingsdale Community Centre was born many years ago in a neighbourhood association volunteer’s kitchen.
The city’s Directory of Community Programs and Services, Mark Hildebrand praised the community for mobilizing to push forward the plan for the new centre—a plan that the city adopted about 11 years ago. A business case for the $4.1-million project was completed by the city in 2007 after the arena was decommissioned, and construction began in May 2010.
The new 16,500 square foot facility features five program rooms, a large gymnasium with an adjoining commercial kitchen and bar area, which are available for rent, two public access computers and an outdoor splash pad and playground.
“This really is a day of celebration,” said Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr. “Not long ago the facility was the Pat Doherty Arena. It has become a great location for a new community centre. You’ve been very patient and we appreciate that,” Zehr said.
Constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the mayor said the centre is environmentally efficient using 40 per cent less water in daily operations and over 75 per cent of centre receives its daytime light from windows. During reconstruction, over 90 per cent of unwanted building material was diverted from landfill.
City councilor John Gazzola, who frequently rode his bicycle to the site during the spring and summer to watch the construction progress, praised the reuse of the building.
“It gives it so much more meaning since we could save a building that was used for other things. There are a lot of memories here,” he said, urging people to remember the Wilson Family, whom the arena was initially named after and Pat Doherty who spent countless hours coaching hockey in the former arena that eventually was renamed after him.
Kingsdale is one of four community centers in the region where the House of Friendship provides programming. At the new centre it will continue to run a very large outreach program with an outreach worker who links families with children to resources such as food, information about housing, family and individual counselling, child care, transportation, employment and education. It also runs a food distribution program, which serves 100 local families a week.
House of Friendship Executive Director John Neufeld described the new centre is a “testament to collaboration and partnerships in the community,” adding that the centre will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the community.
“Buildings don’t build community but a great building like this will allow the vital relationships that make a community,” he said. “Were just so pleased to be here and to have the community come and enjoy the new facility,” said Lynda Stewart, District Facilitator.
Kitchener Citizen
The final goal has been scored. The rebuilt Patrick J. Doherty (Wilson) Arena is now officially the Kingsdale Community Centre and home to the Kingsdale Neighbourhood Association.
The City of Kitchener’s 13th community centre, which may be the most architecturally distinctive community centre in the region, opened October 22 with a ribbon cutting, children’s activities, speeches and refreshments.
The former Kingsdale Community Centre was operated for nine years from a set of portables adjacent to the new centre that people sometimes mistook as city storage buildings or a garage. It struggled to provide programs for the 4,500 people it serves every year in the area bound by Courtland Avenue, Fairway Road South, Highway 8 and the Expressway and, because of limited space, used to run many of its community programs out of nearby churches and schools.
The new centre is owned and maintained by the city of Kitchener and operates in partnership with the Kingsdale Community Association and the House of Friendship, which share responsibility for programming and volunteers.
“I was here when they first opened the arena 25 years ago in 1966. And here I am again today at this opening,” laughed Betty York, an area neighbour who volunteered to help at the grand opening.
Alma Martin, who has been a resident in the area for 52 years, said she used to watch her grandsons play hockey at the former arena.
“There are so many changes,” she said, viewing the new centre for the first time.
“I think it’s beautiful. It should have been here long ago. There are a lot of children in this area and a lot of community events. It think the new playground is great and this centre will bring families closer together,” said neighbour Marilyn Knopf.
“It’s surreal. You think of watching hockey and skating in this arena. Now it’s all changed. It’s just a lovely centre and I think it will be well used. It appeals to people of a lot of different ages and we’re getting new young families moving in all the time. It’s a great neighbourhood,” said Marion Cooper who has lived in the area for 20 years.
“It’s just like home here. It’s so big compared to the old centre. I love it here,” said volunteer Madge Cormier.
As many projects start out, the idea for a new Kingsdale Community Centre was born many years ago in a neighbourhood association volunteer’s kitchen.
The city’s Directory of Community Programs and Services, Mark Hildebrand praised the community for mobilizing to push forward the plan for the new centre—a plan that the city adopted about 11 years ago. A business case for the $4.1-million project was completed by the city in 2007 after the arena was decommissioned, and construction began in May 2010.
The new 16,500 square foot facility features five program rooms, a large gymnasium with an adjoining commercial kitchen and bar area, which are available for rent, two public access computers and an outdoor splash pad and playground.
“This really is a day of celebration,” said Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr. “Not long ago the facility was the Pat Doherty Arena. It has become a great location for a new community centre. You’ve been very patient and we appreciate that,” Zehr said.
Constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the mayor said the centre is environmentally efficient using 40 per cent less water in daily operations and over 75 per cent of centre receives its daytime light from windows. During reconstruction, over 90 per cent of unwanted building material was diverted from landfill.
City councilor John Gazzola, who frequently rode his bicycle to the site during the spring and summer to watch the construction progress, praised the reuse of the building.
“It gives it so much more meaning since we could save a building that was used for other things. There are a lot of memories here,” he said, urging people to remember the Wilson Family, whom the arena was initially named after and Pat Doherty who spent countless hours coaching hockey in the former arena that eventually was renamed after him.
Kingsdale is one of four community centers in the region where the House of Friendship provides programming. At the new centre it will continue to run a very large outreach program with an outreach worker who links families with children to resources such as food, information about housing, family and individual counselling, child care, transportation, employment and education. It also runs a food distribution program, which serves 100 local families a week.
House of Friendship Executive Director John Neufeld described the new centre is a “testament to collaboration and partnerships in the community,” adding that the centre will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the community.
“Buildings don’t build community but a great building like this will allow the vital relationships that make a community,” he said. “Were just so pleased to be here and to have the community come and enjoy the new facility,” said Lynda Stewart, District Facilitator.
Kitchener Councillor John Gazzola (left) and Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr present a plaque commemorating the opening of the Kingsdale Community Centre to Janet Lilley, Chair of the Kingsdale Neighbourhood Association.
Alissa Attwood (front). Donna Reavely (middle) and Betty York sign their names on a wall mural that will be permanently mounted on the wall of the new Kingsdale Community Centre gym. Everyone who attended the grand opening of the new centre was invited to sign themural of an ice hockey rink chosen to reflect the centre's former life as the Pat Doherty/Wilson arena.
Pat Doherty holds the sign that used to be located at the former PatDoherty/Wilson arena. The sign will be mounted at the new Kingsdale Community Centre. Doherty has another arena named after him - the Patrick J. Doherty Arena at the Activa Sportsplex, which opened in 2008 in Kitchener.
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