Carla Squires was present for this portion of the meeting and gave an overview of the proposed new H.G.R. Mews Community Centre. Information is as follows:
The City has been planning for the replacement of the H. G. R. Mews Community Centre for the past two years. To date, site reviews have been completed and public engagement has taken place on both the location of the new facility and the needs of the community in relation to amenities and programming. On Monday, Aug 19, 2019, City council voted to locate the new facility in Mundy Pond Park adjacent to other recreation facilities in the area which will also include the new Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities Accessible playground.
Since fall 2019, staff have been working to advance the design of the new building, incorporating what was heard through the engagement processes in 2018 and 2019 and now have something to share with the community. Check out the visuals in the document library including an aerial view showing the placement of both the building and the playground in Mundy Pond Park, the floor plans, and the amenities overview document. Use the quick poll tools below to tell us what you think of the design and use the questions and comments tool to leave your thoughts.
Members of the Seniors Advisory Committee had provided significant input to the design of the other city facilities recently built and would like the opportunity to provide feedback to ensure the older adult population is represented. The advisory committee can also avail and promote the following opportunities to engage.
The City of St. John’s invites the public to visit engagestjohns.ca to review the new concept design of the H.G.R Mews Community Centre replacement facility, to be constructed at Mundy Pond Park.
Public and stakeholder input from the first two rounds of public engagement for this project have influenced the overall design. The Committee was invited to visit engagestjohns.ca to see a rendering of the front view of the facility, a bird’s eye view of the building and park amenities, as well as floor plans and layouts for the interior of the facility.
Virtual public meetings to review the concept design and floor plans will take place using Microsoft Teams on September 22nd and September 24th. The committee was encouraged to register online to participate.
It was noted the city is also meeting with key stakeholders and users of the current facility such as sporting and aquatics organizations, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Next steps for the project include translating the concept design into detailed design and preparation of a tender package. Award of the tender is anticipated for early 2021 with work on site expected to start in Spring 2021. The new facility will open approximately two years from the start of construction.
Residents unable to participate online can contact Access St. John’s at 311 or 754-CITY and ask to speak with someone from the project team, or email engage@stjohns.ca.
The Committee thanked Carla for the presentation and following her departure discussed and agreed as follows:
- On a broader level of engagement, it was suggested that the Seniors Advisory Committee be contacted for a separate consultation session. This matter was discussed at the previous meeting and a meeting was held with the City Clerk to suggest a more robust engagement on city projects by the Committee. The Committee opined that advisory committees, by the very nature of their interests being important to Council as demonstrated by their creation and appointment, warrants more formal feedback.
- It was noted that often there are overlapping interests among advisory committees and as such a collaborative session with committees having mutual interest may be in order. For example: Inclusion Committee and Seniors Committees (considering accessibility and aging) often have similar issues as it relates to projects. It was agreed that staff and Councillor Stapleton would follow up with the City Clerk on how this can be facilitated, particularly as it relates to the MEWS Centre. It was also agreed that Karen would reach out to the lead staff of the Inclusion Committee to collaborate on this engagement.
- While it is recognized that some engagement initiatives are required by staff on short notice, those, such as the MEWS Centre, warrant more lead time.
- The Committee asserted that the previous check-in with all advisory committees a few years ago was valuable and a similar check-in is welcomed and would be a good opportunity for engagement discussion.
Councillor Stapleton questioned the process by which the entire Council can be kept apprised of the work happening within the Committee. It was noted this matter is under review by the Office of the City Clerk.