The community centre in Roxboro has been serving members of the West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA) for nearly three decades.
But the organization’s president says it’s time for an expansion.
“We serve over 400 members on the West Island, but we’re open to everyone on the island of Montreal, so that number has grown,” said Joan Lee. “Hence one of the reasons why we need a bigger place — a modern space.”
During a press conference Monday, the association, alongside various West Island mayors, Brigitte Garceau, MNA for the area, announced plans for the construction of a new community centre.
The price tag will be around $3.5 million, though the association says they may need up to $4 million, much of which will have to be raised through public and private donations.
The new centre will be built at the same location as the current one.
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The association hopes to break ground in about a year.
While the building is under construction, programs, events and activities will be relocated to various West Island community centres.
They expect construction of the new building to take about nine months.
The building’s proposed design includes, among other things, a reception hall, a daycare, library, and a state-of-the-art robotics lab, for their robotics club that they currently run out of the Dollard-des-Ormeaux civic centre.
“We need space — not only for our labs, we need space for our youth centres, our seniors, all these places that are required because we have so many people coming through the building using it and making connections to our community,” said Frank Baylis, WIBCA vice-president.
For WIBCA co-founder Margaret Jolly, who helped create the association 42 years ago, news of an expansion is exciting and emotional.
“To see what WIBCA has become from two mothers who started out looking for a place for their kids to play basketball — that’s how this started,” said Jolly. “It’s wonderful. I can’t even put into words what I feel today.”
And for those young and old who use the community centre today, they say a new home will go a long way.
“I find this space that we’re currently in doesn’t match the impact that WIBCA has had over the years,” said 16-year-old Asherah Ramdhan Page, who is part of WIBCA’s robotics club.
“I’m very excited to see what the project will be realized as.”
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