Not-for-profit St. Patrick’s Family Centre in Moncton closes amid financial turmoil

Every single person who walks through the doors of the St. Patrick’s Family Centre in Moncton has a different story as to what the facility means to them. And it’s often much more than just bricks and mortar.

“I love the place. Seriously. And we help each other,” said member Carole Bourgault.

But after years of financial problems and aging infrastructure in need of desperate repair, the decision has been made to close the not-for-profit community centre.

“Parents did their best to try keep the centre open with duct tape and elbow grease but more details came to light. It just became not so much just a decision to close the daycare and the pool facilities, it became a necessity,” said Brock Gallant, a volunteer and spokesperson for the club.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Parents did their best to try keep the centre open with duct tape and elbow grease but more details came to light. It just became not so much just a decision to close the daycare and the pool facilities, it became a necessity," said Brock Gallant, a volunteer and spokesperson for the club.

And so as of 6 p.m. Friday, the daycare, indoor swimming pool and gym are no longer. However, members aren’t losing hope that the centre can’t be saved just yet.

“One of the potential options we’re working for right now is to secure that cash flow, to secure some management assets, to return integrity to the centre and re-instill the public trust,” said Gallant.

Thirty children attended daycare at the centre and the Boys and Girls Club is encouraging parents struggling to find arrangements to contact them.

“We’re really asking families to reach out to us and we can work on a case-by-case basis to see what the right fit might be,” said Rebecca Campbell with the Moncton location.

Meantime, members at St. Pat’s will be approaching Moncton City Council Monday, looking for some kind of assistance to help keep the doors open.