Architect firm to examine financial considerations of indoor track, pool gallery seating

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Partners returned to the community for the second of three public meetings at the Amesbury Community Centre last week to receive further feedback before working on final design plans.

"We had the programs costed and we found that it was (financially) feasible," said Duff Balmer from the firm, noting the goal is to try and fit as much programming space into the building with a $25-million budget.

Preliminary drawings showed the community centre totaled 51,225 square feet in size, which will be located at the southeast corner of Black Creek Drive and Eglinton Avenue.

It included a leisure swimming pool as well as a six-lane, 25-metre pool with a large deck area and two large change rooms. The gymnasium was 84 feet by 50 feet - large enough for a college-sized basketball court.

A general multipurpose room was also incorporated into the general layout plans, that includes an activity room, pre-school area, youth lounge and a kitchen, totalling nearly 16,000 square feet.

But some residents were disappointed at what wasn't in the plans.

Dianne Boyda, volunteer co-ordinator at Syme 55 Centre near Jane Street and St. Clair Avenue, wanted to see an elevated walking track, which would be popular with the seniors in the community.

Others asked for gallery seating overlooking the lane pool so that it can be used for competitive swim meets instead of just being used as a training facility.

Some were surprised that a fitness centre wasn't included.

Douglas Giles, project manager with the City of Toronto, explained that to build an indoor track and buy equipment for a fitness centre would be costly. Gallery seating for a pool would require additional floor space.

But York South-Weston city councillors Frank Di Giorgio (Ward 12) and Frances Nunziata (Ward 11) both asked the architects and city staff to provide a separate cost analysis for a community centre that has an indoor track, pool gallery seating and fitness centre.

"We're asking the consultation group to come back with a new cost for the extra features and then we'll ask the city for money from the budget," Nunziata said. "If we're going to build it, let's do it right."

Balmer said the cost analysis could be completed by next week and hoped city council would approve the new plans.

"We'll feed it back to them (the politicians) and we'll cross our fingers," he said.

The final townhall meeting is scheduled for May where more concrete design plans are to be presented to the community before construction begins in the spring of 2010.