Council Endorses Renewal of the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre

W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre Exterior

During the Special Council Meeting on November 9, 2023, Loyalist Township Council endorsed the renewal of the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre which will include the construction of a new aquatic facility.

During the meeting, Council received a Validation Report which summarized the proposed design for the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre Renewal project along with the costs, strategies, and timelines for the implementation for the first phase of the project.

This project phase represents an improvement to the services which have historically been offered at the facility to meet the needs of a growing Loyalist community.

The scope of work for this phase of the project will involve the following program and performance targets:

• The construction of a new aquatic facility comprising of an 8-lane, 25 metre pool as well as a separate warm-water leisure pool;

• Undertaking accessibility upgrades throughout the existing facility, including the addition of a lift, accessible change rooms, and barrier-free viewing areas;

• Installing new aquatic change rooms, including the creation of a family change room;

• Incorporating new Indigenous Legacy Space, in collaboration with the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund;

• Incorporating energy conservation measures throughout the facility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations;

• Designing the building to be Net-Zero ready, meaning that the amount of energy needed to operate the building in a given year can be produced directly on site in the future, typically through the use of solar panels;

• Keeping the building operational during construction and minimizing facility and programming downtime.