The City has announced the start of the next round of public consultations for the forthcoming Wabash Community Recreation Centre at Sorauren Park. An online public meeting is scheduled for November 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and a new online survey will also begin November 3.
Continue readingMark your calendar: The City of Toronto will be holding a virtual public meeting May 11 at 6:30 pm to review site design options for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park. Register online at the City’s Wabash Community Centre project page.
The City and its architects, Diamond Schmitt, will unveil proposed plans for how the new centre will fit into the site. Because the programming plan requires more space than what is available at the site of the old Canada Linseed Mill property at 40 Wabash Avenue, there will be an impact on the park.
You can join the May 11 Zoom meeting by video or audio. The City will also be running a survey from May 5 to May 31. This is just one step in the public consultation process, as more consultations will be held as the design becomes more developed.
The Friends of Sorauren Park have advocated for retaining the Fieldhouse and the Town Square, site of the weekly Farmers Market, outdoor movies, community festivals, pumpkin sale fundraisers, ad hoc ball hockey and pickleball games, fitness classes, skateboarding, the best place to learn how to ride a bike in Toronto, and more. The community and the City have already invested more than $1 million in the Fieldhouse and Town Square.
FOSP also supports retaining the industrial heritage features of the linseed mill as much as possible. The community has supported these positions through FOSP-led community consultations and a survey.
Here are the key details for the City consultation from the Wabash Community Centre project page:
Attend the virtual public meeting to learn about the site design options and share your feedback.
Two ways to join:
Complete the online survey to learn about the site design options and share your feedback.
A survey link will be posted on May 5, 2021.
You can also request a hard copy of the survey in the mail by calling 416-642-6605 or e-mailing klamparero@swerhun.com.
The City of Toronto and its consultants are starting public consultations for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park, starting with a Virtual Town Hall on September 22.
In addition to the Town Hall, there will be other ways to get involved, including Small Group Discussions on September 28 (online), a survey, and subscribing to project updates. All details are posted on the City’s project website.
The City consultations follow community-led consultations hosted by the Friends of Sorauren Park. The results of those consultations have been shared with the City, and FOSP will support and participate in the City consultations.
Make sure to have your say at this exciting time in the decades-long effort to develop the Wabash Community Centre!
Interior view from ground-floor level down to basement level. Concept plan from 2009 Wabash Green Feasibility Study.
The City of Toronto will soon hire architects to work on the final design for the Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park. This is exciting news, and the Friends of Sorauren Park is asking for your input on what you’d like to see at our new community centre.
Please take a moment to complete our survey.
This survey has been created by the Friends of Sorauren Park, a non-profit volunteer group dedicated to the completion and enjoyment of Sorauren Park.
The intention is to collect community input that can help inform the design process and construction of the new community centre planned for Wabash Avenue adjacent to the park. The survey is just one consultation initiative of the Friends of Sorauren Park to help identify community needs and desires.
You can read the positions taken by the Friends of Sorauren Park here. The City’s consultants will also be undertaking consultations, which FOSP looks forward to participating in.
Construction of the $40-million community centre is to be completed by the City of Toronto and is slated to open in 2023.
Thank you for completing the Friends of Sorauren Park community centre survey.
Regards,
Joël Campbell
Chair (Volunteer), Friends of Sorauren Park
The old linseed factory site at 40 Wabash Avenue in Sorauren Park will soon be home to the new Wabash Community Centre. The banner was erected in 2004 after the first fundraiser.
The City has issued a formal Request for Proposals for architectural services for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park, a milestone in the decades-long campaign to bring a community centre to the site.
“The neighbourhood has evolved since the original leaders started lobbying for this, and the need for a rec centre has continually increased,” says Joël Campbell, Chair of the non-profit Friends of Sorauren Park. “We’re thrilled that our time has come and are so looking forward to identifying, cultivating, and pursuing our community’s vision for this exciting project.”
Proposals from bidders are due May 14. The winning bid will be chosen by the City after a qualification check and evaluation of many factors including past experience and price. A viewing copy of the 155-page RFP is available on the City’s purchasing website.
The RFP essentially asks architectural firms to send in their resumes. Firms must have experience building community centres, aquatic facilities, and also have heritage experience because of the existing buildings on the site. The City also intends the building to be Net Zero Energy: “a building that produces as much renewable energy as it consumes when measured at the site on an annual basis, while maintaining an acceptable level of service and functionality.”
The scope of work for the winning bidder will include several community consultations. Only after this process starts will actual design options be put forward, for further community review. The process is expected to take until mid-2021 before construction begins later that year, according to the RFP document. Final designs will also be evaluated by the City’s Design Review Panel.
In addition to the City-led consultations, the Friends of Sorauren Park has been holding consultations, which will continue in the months ahead. The results of the first FOSP-held community consultation have been published. FOSP will soon issue a community-wide survey, and comments are welcome any time through our comment box. FOSP meetings are also held the first Thursday of every month at the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse at 7 pm, all invited.
City Council approved the budget for the community centre in 2017, currently pegged at about $40 million.
The first community fundraiser for the Wabash Community Centre was held June 2004 (not a typo) at Lula Lounge on Dundas. It raised funds to pay for the banner on the old linseed factory at 40 Wabash Avenue, the property purchased by the City in 2000 for the purposes of the community centre. The banner helped stake a claim. The claim is soon about to pay dividends.
Wabash Community Centre 