Old Kingsway library to be temporary Eastburn community centre
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Now that the new Tommy Douglas library branch is open, plans are afoot to turn the former Kingsway library building into a temporary community centre.
A replacement for Eastburn Community Centre, plus a pool, is expected to start construction next year. Just before demolition of the current building begins, as early as late spring, the temporary facility will be relocated to the old library, said parks and recreation director Dave Ellenwood.
While the old library and the Eastburn facility are about the same size, the temporary centre won't have a gymnasium. Instead, the fitness and weight room, which measures about 800 square feet now, will be about 2,000 square feet in size, Ellenwood said.
And it will feature exercise equipment with cachet—they'll have been used by athletes during the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to a staff report. On Monday, council approved spending $52,000 on the equipment, which is being offered at a 35 per cent discount by VANOC and will be delivered in April.
The proposed new Edmonds Aquatic and Community Centre is estimated to cost $44 million and is currently undergoing detailed design work, Ellenwood said.
"It takes a fair amount of time for the detailed drawings to be produced, and the bidding process to take place, so barring any unforeseen delays we are hopeful that construction would start sometime in the late spring or summer next year."
While a completion date is difficult to predict at this point, it'll be done "hopefully before the end of 2011."
