King calls for new Holyrood rec centre

By Craig Westcott \ May 5, 2023

Holyrood councillor Sadie King issued a call Tuesday for her colleagues to look at building a new community centre. 

King made the suggestion during her recreation committee report, which included a letter to council from a seniors group called Active for Life which also called on council to consider building such a facility. Holyrood’s existing community centre is an older building owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Grand Falls and is for sale.

King concluded her committee report by reading the letter from Active for Life into the public record, adding, “this letter is right, in my book. It’s right up my alley.”

The letter noted the group has been active in Holyrood since 2013 offering zumba, swimming, walking, yoga and active living classes. “‘Through the years, we have utilized several locations – the Community Centre, the Legion, the Star of the Sea and even the pharmacy building on the Access Road, ‘”King read. “While these facilities have something good to offer, there are always ongoing problems.”

Among the problems, said the group, has been the need to cancel functions for a myriad of reasons, including the use of those facilities by other groups, heating and ice conditions and locked buildings.

The group said it appreciates the Town’s efforts to help it find accommodations for its various events, but it’s time to start “advocating for a permanent home.”

The group said its programs are a huge benefit to people, and a new permanent home could be shared with other groups, including the Girl Guides, Sea Cadets, Kung Fu classes, and line dancing. The group allowed Holyrood’s population probably couldn’t justify building something as substantial as the Puffin Centre in Witless Bay, “but wouldn’t it be great if we could have something half that size?”

The group closed the letter by thanking the Town for its support and assuring council it is on board with any plans for a new community centre.

King said the letter was signed by all the group’s members.

“That just gives validation to what I ‘ve been saying here for quite a while,” she added. “We need a community centre/lifestyle centre in this town. We are all aware now, since Friday, that the (Church-owned) community centre is on the block, and I know there are people interested (in buying it), so that’s going to go very quickly. We used it before Covid and we didn’t have too many problems, but since then Recreation is having a struggle to find places to do their activities. Right now in this town there is no place to hold a celebration of life, no place for birthday parties, family reunions, social events for seniors, or for anybody. Nothing. We have absolutely nothing here for people to get together unless they have deep pockets and can go to one of the facilities in the town. I think now is the time that council has to make a move on this. We have to band together, we have to be firm, and we’ve got to leave no stone unturned until this building is started so that we can use it.”

King said over the past couple of weeks she happened to visit two small communities of 250 to 300 people. “You should see the town halls they’ve got,” she said. “Well maintained, always in use. And here we are with 2,500 people and what have we got? Absolutely no space to call our own. So come on guys, let’s get with it.”

Mayor Gary Goobie, and councillors Curtis Buckle and Bruce King were absent from Tuesday’s meeting, but Deputy Mayor Michele Woodford acknowledged her colleague’s point.

“It’s not something we haven’t discussed as a group with regards to a multi-purpose building here in Holyrood,” she said. “It’s absolutely, definitely needed and it is on our radar, and will be on the radar, hopefully, in the future that we can certainly fill that need. It’s not forgotten. I know all the councillors around the table feel the same way, that’s it’s definitely needed, and it won’t be forgotten for sure. It’s just (a matter of) trying to move forward in finding funding availability to be able to help us bring that to life here in Holyrood.”

Councillor Steve Winsor, meanwhile, thanked King for her “eloquent commentary on a much-needed facility in the Town of Holyrood.”