General News

Caledon East Community Complex expansion official breaks ground 

September 9, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Rob Paul, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Tuesday, September 7, the Town of Caledon officially broke ground on the expansion project for the Caledon East Community Complex (CECC). 

Mayor Allan Thompson was joined by Town Council, Town staff, and members of the Caledon Public Library. 

The expansion the CECC will result in a 52,000 square foot multi-level structure that will include a pool, fitness centre, gymnasium, walking track, aerobics studio, a warm viewing area for existing ice pads, a Caledon Public Library; and multipurpose rooms for community programs and rentals.  

The expansion will also include an elevator to the upper floor to make it more accessible, a dedicated Sports Hall of Fame, a new concession area, and increased parking. 

All of the new additions to the arena are categorized under Phase 3 and 4 of the expansion project — the development will cost the Town $31 million. 

“Today is a great day for the Town of Caledon with the groundbreaking of the Caledon East Complex,” said Thompson. “When we do things like this, the sun always shines in Caledon. Getting to this day has taken a collective effort of our Town Council, our dedicated professional Town staff, and the residents who make this community a community. I want to thank everyone who has been committed to this project, your continued support in so many ways in the Caledon community age-friendly programs and the amenities to engage residents. This new addition will be a wonderful asset to the Caledon East Complex. 

“Caledon is growing, and we are committed to building the infrastructure we need to maintain the quality of life our residents are used to. The expansion of the Caledon East Community Complex is a once-in-a-generation leap forward for recreation infrastructure.” 

Throughout the official groundbreaking there was electricity in the voices of the Councillors in attendance that the project was in motion. Councillors could be heard chanting, “ahead of schedule, under budget,” in excitement.  

The CECC was originally built in 1978 and consisted of a single story with a basement. The original expansion began in 2007 with Phase 1 and continued in 2010 with Phase 2—these phases were the addition of two arena structures on the east side of the original building. 

Currently the complex is 106,412 square feet and includes two ice pads, an auditorium with a capacity of 400 people (with kitchen, bar, and portable stages), a community room with a capacity of over 100, and various multi-purpose rooms for programs, facility rentals, and community use. 

Heather Savage, Caledon’s Director of Community Services, was also present at the groundbreaking and has played a major role in helping the project plans move forward.  

“The Caledon East Complex will be an asset to all residents,” said Savage. “Located at the Town Hall Civic Campus, this centre, once completed, will be the largest public building in Caledon. In 2019, Council approved Phase 3 of the project and in 2020, Council advanced the funding to design and construct Phase 4 of the expansion alongside Phase 3 to ensure the delivery of quality municipal services were in line with the growth of the community.  

“I’d like to thank a small, but mighty army of staff who have worked on this project since 2017; they have all spent tireless hours guiding this $31 million multi-purpose project to green standards. Traditionally, recreation services are first on the agenda, but last on the budget. Today, the Town of Caledon is changing that. This facility, along with the recently-Council-approved community infrastructure projects are investing in the Town’s high quality of life, both today and for the future generations to come.” 

With Caledon’s population set to boom, Thompson was ecstatic about the groundbreaking and the opportunity to offer the community more diverse programming to fit the needs of every resident.   

“It’s vital; in a perfect world we should have had this here three years ago, but it takes time,” Thompson said. “I really do think out of the new design with the new engineering we got a better system because of the delays. I know it will definitely be used at full capacity once it’s built here in two years. The timing is perfect, and we just needed to get it underway – tto tie everything together for the needs of the community and seeing how well it’s worked in Southfields. We just know the library is more than just books these days and we definitely know there’s a need, not just in the community, but also in the surrounding community and it was really important to get this done. To me, it’s timely, and we’re here and we’re happy—I think if you talk to my Councillors they’d be wishing we were at this a couple years back, but we’re here now, so let’s enjoy the moment and get things going.” 

Something Thompson specifically spotlighted about the expansion are the positives from an environmental standpoint, with it designed to ensure the absolute minimal carbon footprint from operating. 

“It’s been talked about for a long time, and we have a community moved in looking for more options; I know there’s demand for a pool and a lot of other things,” said Thompson. “To me, building the two phases together versus doing it phase three then four is great. We can use the pool as our heating system and what that’s doing is we’re trying to get to a net neutral carbon community, and this will be a good start for that. By combing the two phases, we can really build the whole complex, but use the whole complex to benefit that.” 

In November 2020, the Town engaged Ball Construction through a competitive process and Ball Construction is embedded in the entire project from the conceptual design to the total completion. They will provide a supportive team consisting of Barry Brian Associates, DEI, Aquatic Designs, MGM and Kendall Flowers—who will all collaborate through the design, construction, commissioning and warranty stages of this project. 

With construction beginning immediately, the expansion is expected to be completed in the winter of 2023. To ensure a minimal impact on the surrounding residential area and environment, the construction is being managed carefully and when it’s completed there will be green space around the facility and between Town Hall to make sure the public can walk safely. 

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