Report recommends closure of “one or more” of city's aging community centres
Howden, Greenbriar and Balmoral could be closed as city looks to cut costs

BramptonGuardian.com
Aug. 31, 2017
Peter Criscione

Community centres in older Brampton neighbourhoods that were once at the forefront of suburban planning could face the axe as the city looks to get a handle on infrastructure costs.

Brampton city councillors have endorsed a new parks and recreation master plan, which officials say will provide a road map on planning over the next 15 years.

As part of that strategy, the city will look to add more than 240 hectares of new parkland, and redevelop existing parks.

Planners have also proposed a new artificial turf field, three new cricket pitches, and a new multi-use community centre west of Mississauga Road and north of Steeles Avenue.

But the plan is also calling for the consolidation of “one or more” of the existing aging community centres in the city, many of them in Bramalea.

The Howden, Greenbriar, Terry Miller and Balmoral recreation centres, designed as the “hubs” in Bramalea’s suburban design scheme in the 1960s and '70s, have been identified as potential sites for closures.

A city spokesperson said at this time, there is no estimate on how much the city expects to save on the closures, “nor is there a date for closing or selling of any facilities at the moment.”

“As we continue to build a future ready city, we need to be able to make choices based on how best to deliver the most value for our residents,” said Harry Schlange, Brampton's chief administrative officer.

“The parks and recreation master plan provides a framework that will assist council with making more informed decisions, as we take stock of our infrastructure needs and provide recommendations for new or older facilities.”

Recommendations made in the master plan, including deciding the fate of aging community centres, will be put to a vote at council sometime this fall.

Veteran councillor Gael Miles, who has been on council since 1988 and who represents the area where many of the aging centres are located, suggested the decision on which community centres survive will become hugely political.

Last year, she sought council’s support of a new community complex in Chinguacousy Park, which failed to gain steam.

Aging community centres identified in the report, approaching four decades old, require extensive upgrades and, in some cases, have been deemed too costly to fix.

Howden Recreation Centre has become a money pit for the city with more than $1 million spent over the past decade on standard repairs. A staff report figures at least $4.4 million more is required immediately to bring the facility on Howden Boulevard up-to-date.

The pool was closed indefinitely two years ago after a building condition audit identified some key issues with the structure.

Also, Victoria Park Arena remains closed more than a year after a spontaneous fire tore through the roof of the city-owned rink.

In their heyday, Bramalea’s community centres were constructed to meet a highly localized catchment area, using a philosophy focused on walkability.

The city, which has followed a pattern of growth centred on the automobile, has since moved toward constructing large recreation complexes, with large parking lots, that service large geographical areas.

According to city staff, the “required due diligence continues” for a multi-use community centre in west Brampton and a new seniors centre in the east end with Riverstone Golf Club identified as a possible location.

Construction has started on the Creditview Activity Hub located in the new, city park at the junction of Creditview Road and Sandalwood Parkway.

Meanwhile, facilities in older neighbourhoods continue to deteriorate with no clear plan of action.

The poor state of repairs in city infrastructure was laid out in a report last year that revealed of the 108 facilities the city owns, close to half (41 per cent) are in need of a “critical state” of repair.

Rookie councillor Martin Medeiros, who has locked horns with several council colleagues during this council term, pointed the finger at veteran councillors for not addressing infrastructure needs.

In this term, councillors approved budgets that included major hikes to property taxes and a dedicated two per cent levy for infrastructure upkeep.

“When you see something like this, you have to ask what’s been happening (on this council) the last 20 years?”

Medeiros charged that while past councils approved millions of dollars on shiny new amenities in newer areas, facilities in older neighbourhoods were allowed to deteriorate and now repairs threaten to sink the city financially.

“Seems like we have to clean up for the last 20 years.”