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Three local organizations approved to move into community hub
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
By Ron Giofu The community hub at 320 Richmond St. will have three more organizations officially under its roof in the coming months. After emerging from an in-camera meeting and entering the regular meeting May 25, town council formally approved giving ten-year leases to The Verdi Club, The House Youth Centre and the Fighting Island Boxing Club. Administration was also authorized to complete the necessary leasehold improvements at the former St. Bernard School at a cost not to exceed $626,900 plus HST and transfer an amount not to exceed $638,000 from the parkland reserve toward funding the leasehold improvements. In addition, the town will sell the boxing club’s current home at 300 Victoria St. S. once the club is moved into the community hub. Money gained through the sale of that building will be placed back into the town’s parkland reserve. CAO John Miceli told town council at the May 25 online meeting that the disposition of the land at 300 Victoria St. S. will be used to make the parkland reserve whole as well as the sale of the land to the east of the hub, which is the site of a proposed long-term care facility. Lease revenues at 320 Richmond St. will also
RTT PHOTO BY RON GIOFU
Three more organizations are moving into the new community hub at 320 Richmond St. Town council approved moving forward with ten-year leases for The Verdi Club, The House Youth Centre and the Fighting Island Boxing Club. be used to make the parkland reserve whole as well. Miceli said the anticipation on making the reserve whole again will be “within the next couple of years, give or take a little bit of time.” He said the land sale for the proposed long-term care facility is conditional based upon the proponent receiving approval from the province for long-term care beds at the site. “The 300 Victoria site will be put for sale immediately upon relocating the Fighting Island Boxing Club, which we’re hoping will happen early this fall,” the CAO stated. “The sooner that we move them to 320 Richmond the sooner we’ll be able to put that property for sale.” Joe LeBlanc, owner of Fighting Island Boxing Club, said they are looking forward to moving into the new location. He said the current building is older and space is restricted and the new building will have higher ceilings and room for more programming. He
noted that while it will take weeks to disassemble the equipment at their current site, they love their new location. He said they will be taking up a little more than half of the current gymnasium at the former school, which is about three-times the size of their current building. While the FIBC is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LeBlanc noted that in the past, he has had to break up the group when training and send half of them outside and keep the rest inside due to a lack of space. He said that won’t happen at the new location and anticipates offering adult female classes, classes to assist those with Parkinson’s Disease and a seniors program. “There’s just so much more room,” he said. The FIBC is also fundraising and plans to use a fullsize ring at the new location.
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