More than $17 million in federal funding for two City of Pickering net zero community infrastructure projects – the Pickering Heritage & Community Centre, and the Redman House Program Centre improvement project have been announced by Mayor Dave Ryan and Members of Council, along with Jennifer O’Connell, Member of Parliament for Pickering-Uxbridge.
This new, 44,000 square foot facility will host new and improved recreation and leisure programming for the community as well as library services, and will also include a community theatre and a museum that will house community exhibits, said a city statement.
As a key milestone of Pickering’s sustainability journey, the community centre will be the city’s first net zero facility, featuring enhanced insulation, triple glazed windows, solar panels, air source heat pumps and other similar features that in combination will meet the net zero design targets for the project.
Additional funding will support green retrofits to the Redman House Program Centre. The work will include energy efficiency upgrades to both mechanical and electrical components of the existing facility, as well as accessibility improvements that include the replacement of the ramp and renovations to the washrooms. This project will allow the centre to continue to provide important visitor and volunteer services at the Pickering Museum Village.
This new community-based green infrastructure is hoped to transform the Pickering Village Museum into a year-round destination offering a wide range of services and innovative community programs. It will be home to the Pickering Library’s Local History Resource Centre and Branch Kiosk for the residents of north Pickering. Visitors will be able to visit the Exhibit Gallery, the Textile Workshop, enjoy the Gift Shop and Coffee Bar, and stroll along the pathway to Pickering Museum Village.
Following in the footsteps of the George Ashe Community Centre, the Pickering Heritage & Community Centre will also offer picturesque spaces for programs and banquet style events. The aspirational blueprints show the future of a unique space, which will replace aging inaccessible infrastructures as well as reconcile Pickering’s shared histories through interpretation, participation, public programming, and displays in partnership with Indigenous communities. Visit pickering.ca/HeritageandCommunity to learn more.