Representatives from community organizations were impressed with our new ACC.
I established the Intercommunity Relations Committee six years ago as a way to bring community organizations operating within Côte Saint-Luc the opportunity to connect. Many successful meetings have taken place, often hosted by the organizations themselves such as Maimonides Geriatric Centre, the CLSC Réne Cassin, Beth Zion Congregation, Congregation Or Hahayim, Mount Sinai Hospital and Bialik High School.
With the very recent opening of the state-of-the-art $18 million Aquatic and Community Centre (ACC) on Parkhaven Avenue, it was only appropriate to gather organizational reps for a tour of the facility.
Director of Parks and Recreation David Taveroff and City Councillor Ruth Kovac (co-chair of the project) served as the guides. Not surprisingly everyone in the group was very impressed with the building and its facilities.
The ACC was designed to promote and facilitate active lifestyles and promote wellness, in the holistic sense of the term. People will be able to benefit from an indoor competition pool, an indoor recreation pool, a fitness room, a teen lounge, a games rooms, a kids room and babysitting service, a large rentable space for parties and conferences (something which community organizations were particularly interested in), a dance and aerobic studio, senior lounges, a library branch, an art studio and more.
Mr. Taveroff explained that since the building’s official opening on September 6, “we have had an overwhelming response to the programs we are offering. Every day people line up to register. It has gone beyond our expectations.”
As part of the tour Councillor Kovac showed everyone the spot in the atrium of the building where a brand new café will soon be operational. From there people can look out at the soon to be unveiled Imagination Park, located right by the outdoor pool. It was explained that the wonderful indoor gymnasium, built in 2001, was connected to the new complex. Besides hosting many of the city’s own programs, the gym is rented out by local schools.
Regarding the large multi-purpose room, Mr. Taveroff explained that it will be able to seat 375 people cabaret and 435 theatre style. It can also be divided into three smaller rooms. There is a full kitchen (not kosher). It is anticipated that this will be available for rentals towards the end of October.
The governments of Quebec and Canada gave Côte Saint-Luc grants totalling up to a maximum of $11.57 million, which equals two-thirds of the costs of building the facility. The City of Côte Saint-Luc funded the other third.