An exciting milestone for the Town of Whitby, Ont., has been reached, after council approved the process to design and construct the new Whitby Sports Complex.
The location for the future facility will be west of Baldwin Street South, south of the Highway 407 intersection.
Earlier this week, town council allowed staff to proceed obtaining bids and contractors for the construction of the new building. Construction is expected to begin later this year. The Town said they are anticipating that the new building will be open in 2025.
Mayor Elizabeth Roy said she is very pleased with the final design, and excited to make the step forward.
“We know that recreation is so important to our residents,” Roy said. “During the 2023 budget consultation, enhanced indoor and outdoor facilities was one of the top three priorities identified by the community.”
“Public consultation played a big role in the design of this complex — and now there is the opportunity for residents to weigh in on the proposed design for the outdoor park space to support it. I encourage everyone to visit connectwhitby.ca to share their feedback,” said Roy, in a press release earlier Wednesday.
Some amenities that have been planned for the future facility include an aquatic centre, with a 10-lane pool and a second floor spectator viewing area, which would be the largest pool in Durham Region. A double gymnasium with an indoor walking track, as well as a twin-pad arena with 85-foot by 190-foot ice pads are also planned.
According to the town, there will also be various rooms to support meetings, and programs for the community.
As for outdoor spaces, the proposed design has an outdoor park, which is still open for public comment on Connect Whitby until March 10th. The design includes courts for pickleball, tennis and basketball, as well as a multi-purpose sports field. There is also expected to be a skatepark and pump track.
“It’s a wonderful project,” said Matt Gaskell, chief administrative officer for the Town of Whitby. “It’s our biggest project since we have done the Iroquois sports complex. It will be a wonderful new project, along with a tremendous amount of recreational sports and amenities.”
The town added that various environmental sustainability initiatives will be explored during the process of this new facility, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Gold and Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) certifications.
More information on the future of the Whitby Sports Complex project can be found at connectwhitby.ca/sportscomplex, and residents are encouraged to check it out and provide feedback.