Construction is underway on King’s Township-Wide Recreation Centre, a multi-partner project with an opening date set for 2024.
The centre will be a state-of-the-art, carbon neutral, fully accessible recreation complex with two NHL-sized ice surfaces, a six-lane 25-metre lap pool, a leisure pool, a multi-purpose athletic fieldhouse, and a multi-purpose community room. The building address will be 1600 15th Sideroad, King City, Ont.
The centre is being constructed on 25 acres of land at the southeast corner of the King Campus of Seneca and will be accessible from 15th Sideroad. Seneca and the Township have signed a 99-year lease agreement for the land.
The recreation complex will also feature a multi-use field house with access to future amenities that could include baseball and soccer fields.
With the Township’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the project is designed to open as a carbon neutral facility which combined with the closure of the existing arena facility accounts for a 10 per cent or more of a reduction in GHG (greenhouse gas) output for the Township.
See regular updates at www.king.ca/majorprojects.
Project Partners
In May 2021, the Government of Canada announced it is investing over $21.1 million in the Township of King’s Township-Wide Recreation Centre project through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing over $17.6 million.
The Township of King is providing $8 million from reserves, $23 million through development charges, with another $16 million being contributed by developers as community benefits.
See the media releases:
Canada, Ontario and King Township invest in new $53-million recreational complex
King Breaks Ground on New Township-Wide Recreation Centre
Cost Update: June 2022
The project, as outlined in the June 27, 2022, Council report, is mostly funded from a combination of development charges, provincial and federal grants, reserves, and developer contributions.
The Township of King, as with other businesses and municipalities, has been impacted by the rise in inflation rates for tenders and contracts. The Township-Wide Recreation Centre is no exception. In June 2022, the Township approved a tender in the amount of $73.2 million from JR Certus Construction Co. Ltd. As a result, Council approved an increase to the total project cost to $86 million to mitigate the inflationary costs.
While the increase to the approved budget is currently funded from a combination of municipal reserves, the Township is actively exploring opportunities to replenish the funds through various channels, such as disposition of surplus lands, additional developer contributions, and naming rights and sponsorship associated with the facility.
Report COM-FAC-2022-002 in the June 27, 2022, Committee of the Whole agenda contains more details.
About the Centre
The recreation centre design was based on information gathered as part of the 2019 Facility Services Master Plan.
In late 2019 and early 2020, staff met with residents across the Township to get their input into the features of the new centre. Many of the suggestions, including a larger pool and second ice pad, were included. The design was presented at a Public Information Centre in 2021.
The new complex will provide residents in King and surrounding communities with access to modern and reliable recreational infrastructure where they can enjoy sports, maintain healthy lifestyles and take part in recreational programs and services for years to come.
