New Westminster’s new community centre is intended to be a place where residents can linger awhile and connect with their fellow citizens.
Just inside the main entrance to təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre (TACC) is a spacious lobby, a bright and welcoming space that features a view into the leisure pool. Sofas and other seating, as well as tables, create a space where folks can stop and sit for awhile.
“It's like a community living room,” said Renee Chadwick, the city’s manager of special projects and community partnerships. “We want to encourage people to come to that space. It's really about connecting and belonging.”
Community belonging and connecting is one of the five priorities in city council’s strategic plan.
“That is a space where you can connect with people,” Chadwick said. “There's a sense of belonging there.”
Chadwick, a longtime employee in parks and recreation, noted that New Westminster is home to a number of facilities, including Century House and the Queensborough Community Centre, where folks, some who may be isolated, connect with other community members.
At the farewell event for Canada Games Pool, Chadwick spoke to numerous people who relayed stories about friendships – and romantic relationships – that began in that facility’s hot tub and other spaces.
“It's not just a destination to go swimming, but it's connecting,” she said of civic buildings. “And there's so many different ways you can connect.”
The small Canada Games Pool lobby, however, wasn’t of a size or design that really encouraged community connections.
Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre were places where community members went to connect with others.
“They had that real strong sense of place and local identity,” he said. “təməsew̓txʷ wants to continue to support that, and in even a much bigger way than we had before.”
Gibson believes that having a place where people can linger, socialize and discover new things will be a nice dimension to add to the aquatic experience.
The city designed TACC in a way that creates opportunities for residents to connect – in its indoor spaces (including a full-sized kitchen that can be used for events) and in its outdoor spaces.
“The way the building is designed, there's opportunities for events that happen indoor/outdoor events that take advantage of the architectural design,” Chadwick said. “There's going to be lots of places where people connect, not only in that central living room, but outside in the plaza as well.”
