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Minoru Centre for Active Living is almost ready for use. An official grand opening will be held in April.
Photo by Don Fennell
Minoru Centre for Active Living opening March 11
Baby boomers rejoice, the doors to Richmond’s
new Minoru Centre for Active Living will soon swing open, inviting the
opportunity to enjoy an expanded range of recreation opportunities.
Representing the city’s fastest-growing
segment and nearly 30 per cent of the Canadian population, those born between
1946 and 1964 will have a cornucopia of services from which to choose.
Constructed over two storeys, the new
facility’s seniors centre will provide double the program space of the existing
Minoru Place Activity Centre, which will be repurposed to provide additional
space for arts and community programs. This will primarily address programs
that have outgrown available capacity at Richmond Cultural Centre.
The Minoru Seniors Society will deliver a
comprehensive and expanded range of programs and services.
While seniors are sure to be pleased, so too
will the remainder of Richmondites who will have access to many more sport and
fitness pursuits. The new facility will have an 8,500-square-foot fitness
centre, sport programming and support space, a full-service cafeteria and
bistro, commercial kitchen, three new outdoor public plazas and two public art
installations.
“This spectacular facility will provide a
major expansion of seniors services, aquatics and other sport and recreation
services for our community,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “With its outstanding
array of services, iconic design and prominent location in the heart of
Richmond, the Minoru Centre for Active Living will quickly become one of the
jewels of our community.”
One of the most anticipated features of the $79
million complex is a new aquatics centre. With six bodies of water, including
Canada’s largest hot tub, the aquatics centre will provide 60 per cent more
surface water area than the current Minoru Aquatic Centre while helping to
address the needs of the current and growing population. There is a standing
council motion to decommission and demolish the aquatics centre; however, some
councillors have expressed interest in retaining the building to meet other
community needs.
“Staff are working on a council referral to
provide low-cost options to keep at least part of the building operable,”
explained city spokesperson Ted Townsend, noting the referral is only to
provide costs for consideration.
Townsend said the aquatics centre site is
also designated as a special study area within the Minoru Park Plan in terms of
its future use. Staff brought forward a proposed Minoru Park Vision plan last
year, which was referred back with a request to look at a number of vision plan
components, including potential future land use for the special study area.
Reports on both referrals are expected to come back to council in the near
future.
Existing registered programs and services at
Minoru Aquatic Centre and Minoru Place Activity Centre will transition to the
new facility when the new facility opens registration for new programs to be
offered at Minoru Centre for Active Living. They will be available through the
city’s website starting online Feb. 12 at 8 p.m.
for aquatic programs and 10 p.m. for senior and fitness programs.
Further details on the opening of the Minoru
Centre for Active Living and details on the official grand opening will be
announced in the near future.
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