Community centre officially reopens for its 20th birthday
Like a lot of former teenagers, the North Toronto Memorial Community Centre got a new look for its 20th birthday.
The centre at 200 Eglinton Ave. West officially reopened on June 9 after being closed a year for renovations. Toronto mayor John Tory, Eglinton-Lawrence councillor Mike Colle and city staff led the community celebration, which also marked the centre’s 20th anniversary.
Actually it had reopened for local use on March 20 after having closed in March 2018, said Michael Ellison, the city’s manager of community recreation.
The year-long renovations were necessary as the facility had reached a point of life when it needed major work to keep it in a state of good repair, as well as to make it compliant with AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) to make it accessible to the whole community, Ellison said.
Among the fixes were a roof replacement, a new pool filtration system and air humidification.
A change that users may most notice is the gymnasium upgrades, including a new floor, backboards and glazed walls.
“The feel of the building ifs refreshed, hopefully what people will see,” Ellison said.
So far, the city has received a lot of very happy feedback on the changes, he said. “Just having the building back is a huge asset for the community.”
