Reopening Ceremony For Storrington Centre

Mar 01, 2023

Among all the politicians, staff members and community members who attended the celebration of the reopening of the much improved Storrington Centre last week, Sharon Patterson represented the group with the longest association with the hall.

And on with a lot to gain from its reopening.

The Storrington Retirees were established in 1981, and when the Storrington Centre first opened in 1982, they were one of the first groups to start using it on a regular basis. They held their lunches at the Centre, pretty much every month, between 1983 and 2020. That all changed in February of 2020, with the onset of COVID.

“The timing of the renovations to the hall worked out pretty well for us, since we could not meet for most of that time, because, as a group of seniors, we had to be careful anyway,” said Patterson, in an interview after the opening.”

The Seniors may have started up again starting last fall, but they have been waiting for the hall to re-open.

“We have the hall booked for the second Wednesday of the month, starting on April 12,” said Patterson. “We are raring to go. We had 75 members before we stopped, and we need to get back up to that number again, and beyond.”

Over the years, the group has contributed a lot to the hall, paying for a commercial dishwasher, a microwave oven, a stove, tables and chairs, many items that are still in use.

But they are not the only group that uses the hall, which was the best used township hall before it was shuttered in order for the renovations to take place. It is used by the EarlyOn program for parents and young children, by the Von for exercise programs, card groups, and the Sunbury Music Association. The musicians were on hand to entertain the crowd at the celebration.

The expansion has increased the size of the Centre by a more than a third, to 4,300 square feet of meeting space with new features such as outdoor patio space and double doors that open up for indoor/outdoor use. New energy-efficient LED lighting and heating/cooling equipment were also installed.

“The Storrington Centre is an important community hub and gathering place,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal at the reopening. “This expansion is just one of many projects in South Frontenac that will enhance access to programs, services and events to continue to make South Frontenac a vibrant, progressive and growing rural leader.”

The Township received a Government of Canada investment of $432,309 for the project from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), through the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF). The fund was launched to help communities across Canada build and improve community infrastructure projects so they can rebound from the effects of the pandemic, assist with community vitality, support social and economic cohesion and help reanimate communities.

“Community centres and meeting spaces are important for rural municipalities in southern Ontario. Enhancing halls, like the Storrington Centre, offers space for people to learn, grow and work together for the betterment of their towns,” said the Honorable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario. “This investment will connect the residents of South Frontenac, enhance the visitor experience and lead to community growth.”

The renovation was designed by Kingston architect Mikaela Hughes and the work was completed by Jeffrey G. Wallans Construction Ltd. at an estimated cost of $563,079.

The Centre will host the South Frontenac Recreation and Leisure Fair on Saturday, March 25 from 10 am to 2 pm where local sports, community groups can showcase activities and recreational opportunities in the Township..

With all that effort and cost to two levels of government, Sharon Patterson, of the longest active group using the hall, has already delivered her verdict as to whether the money was well spent.

“It is absolutely beautiful,” she said, there is so much space and it is so bright. There is lots of beautiful natural light, and a view of the fields behind the hall. They did an excellent job.”

Tim Laprade, the Recreation and Facilities manager for South Frontenac, said that a lot of the credit for the success of the project should go to Jamie Brash, who oversaw much of the work on the building until he retired at the end of last year. He also said the Storrington Centre will be a community as well as a township resource going forward.

“We are already getting calls from people wanting to hold weddings and family gatherings in the Storrington Centre. It is going to be an even better used community facility going forward, thanks to this project,” he said.