Vaughan celebrates re-opening of community centre

BuildingCommunities.ca
Dec. 13, 2023

The City of Vaughan recently celebrated the official re-opening of the new and improved Garnet A. Williams Community Centre - a project funded in-part by the Canada Community-Building Fund.

As Vaughan’s oldest multi-use recreation facility, the Garnet A. Williams Community Centre is deeply rooted in the City’s history, and serves as a vital recreation and social hub for residents in Thornhill.

Since 1984, the centre has provided quality leisure programs and activities. Other than regular ongoing maintenance and repair work, the facility had not been significantly altered since it was expanded in 2005.

Vaughan engaged with the local community to understand what types of facility and programming improvements were most desired. Based on the feedback collected, as well as sustainability planning and a review of design best practices, the community centre was redeveloped to improve functionality and design.

The Centre has been closed since 2021 for ongoing renovations and modernization, which includes improvements to building accessibility and overall energy efficiency. The arena, public pool and change rooms, along with activity and programming spaces were also completely transformed. Additionally, a new outdoor splashpad at York Hill Park was added, and public facing areas, like the customer service desk and lobby, are brand new.