The new Albion community centre could be a restful place that brings the outdoors in, highlights B.C.’s rainforest and wetlands and provides a place to get together in the fast-growing suburbs of Albion, while also giving a nod to the past.
Big windows, open space, low-impact, eco-smart construction could all be features of the community centre, according to a proposal by Paul Fast, HCMA Architecture and Design.
Fast has created some concepts based on brainstorming sessions earlier this year on what people want to see in a 19,000 sq. foot community centre and elementary school planned for 104th Avenue.
Those concepts will be unveiled at an open house titled Your Voice, Your Neighbourhood this Thursday at Samuel Robertson Technical secondary, 6 to 9 p.m.
Fast described the centre, which would cost about $10 million, as “a building that’s grounded in the past.”
It could feature, if approved by the community and council, peaked roofs that evoke the pioneer buildings of the past, including the old Albion community hall torn down a few years ago.
Also part of the proposal is a 300-seat gathering hall, about the size of a basketball court, an outdoor amphitheatre, a community garden, as well as three multi-purpose rooms for fitness or arts, a child-care space and a centrally located fireplace feature, where people could gather to take in the activities around them.
“Wow, that’s an incredible amount of work in a really short period of time,” said Mayor Nicole Read.
Various options were presented as to how the centre will relate to a proposed elementary school that would share the site, which is to be laid out to make maximum use of the sun while also allowing passers-by glimpses of the forest behind the buildings. Windows would also open out to the forest and wetlands area nearby.
The proposal doesn’t include space for a community theatre. Coun. Craig Speirs said it wouldn’t be a suitable location, that there’s not enough room for a 100-seat theatre or for the storage required for a stage.
Recreation director Wendy McCormick said later the project is still at the conceptual stage.
“These are really just preliminary drawings.”
Elders with the Katzie and Kwantlen First Nations were also consulted about trying to integrate the outdoor space, she added.
Part of the presentation included photos of other buildings that could inspire the new Albion community centre, such as the Whonnock Lake Centre.
The community centre will be built next to the proposed Albion elementary or neighbourhood learning centre on 104th Avenue at 240th Street.
If a design is selected for an Albion community centre, it will become one of the several recreational and cultural facilities that Maple Ridge residents will vote for later this year in a plebiscite or alternative approval process to approve borrowing for such projects. Some help with the costs of Albion community centre could be possible if the city receives half a million dollars in provincial in funding for the child-care section of the centre.
While the city proceeds with its part, the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board will present a proposal to the Ministry of Education for funding for a new school. If funding is approved soon, both projects could be built simultaneously, although the timeline for building a new school is usually four years. However, both buildings could also be built independently following separate schedules.
The buildings would be operated separately.
Speirs liked the idea of one part of the complex being “net-zero” – meaning the building generates or conserves as much energy as it uses.
Coun. Bob Masse suggested building a basement beneath the building to provide extra storage space.
“I’m really am impressed with how fast everything’s moving,” added Coun. Corisa Bell.
The original Albion community hall, on 240th Street next to Albion elementary, was torn down in 2011.
Under the agreement worked out between the Albion community association and the municipality, the city set aside, in cash, the market value of the building and the lot ($315,500) towards a new Albion hall.