The community of Anzac will have to wait another 90 days or more to find out the future of the Anzac Community Centre.
The building was to undergo an extensive renovation on Jan. 11, 2018 until contractors found black mould. To prevent the mould from spreading, the area was sealed and the project was put on hold for six months before being officially cancelled on Sept. 6, 2018.
Council held a special meeting in Anzac on Oct. 20, 2018 where they unanimously voted to allow for the Anzac Recreation & Social Society (ARSS) to pay for a Municipally approved third party to inspect of the community centre within 90 days and will then reassess the options for the building.
Option one is to continue the renovations at a cost of $2.4 million.
A second option would be to demolished the building and rebuild it at a cost of $3 million.
Option three is to also have the building demolished, but instead of a rebuild, the land would be sold to the community for a nominal fee which would cost the Municipality and purchaser each $1 million.
The fourth option would also see the demolition of the building and have the community centre groups relocate to the Anzac Recreation Centre at a cost of $450,000.
Several members from the community as well as members from both the ARSS and the Anzac Recreation Centre voiced their opinions on which option would best suit the needs of the community.
Ahead of the meeting the community had indicated at a public engagement session that they were leaning towards option two, however many community members considered that if the building was demolished, it wouldn’t be rebuilt in a timely manner.
Councillor Jane Stroud told reporters that she struggled with the options.
“I think we need clarity to ensure that the building really needs to be demolished,” said Stroud. “I preferred the one where the hall is community owned.”
Since the community centre served as a gathering place for cultural events as well as celebrations of life and funerals, most agreed it was not appropriate to operate out of the recreation centre, and the fourth option seemed to be the least favourable.
