Two community centres will mark openings in Parksville this month.
The Parksville Community Centre on Mills Street will have its grand opening on June 11 and the longtime PCC on Jensen Avenue will reopen to the public on June 25.
The 223 Mills St. centre event will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., according to a news release.
There will be tours of the 9,000-square foot facility, with its four large rental rooms, kitchen, lounge, small offices, boardroom and reception area. The opening will include live music, free activities for children, including face painting and an inflatable bouncy fire truck. There will also be ice cream cones for sale from Auntie Annie’s ice cream truck.
The afternoon’s schedule includes cake-cutting, courtesy of Thrifty Foods, and the official welcoming address by society president Duane Round.
“Share your ideas of how the centre can contribute to the community,” reads the release. “And hear the board’s plans for upcoming social, recreational, and arts programs. It’s good to finally be back serving the needs of the community.”
On June 25, the City of Parksville and BGC Central Vancouver Island will showcase the renovated facility (132 Jensen Avenue East) and the BGC Parksville Child and Family Centre to the community from 10 a.m. to noon, according to a news release. A dedication is set for 10:15 a.m.
“We look forward to welcoming kids and their families, youth, and all members of the public interested in checking out the new BGC programs as well as the community space in the Parksville Community Centre,” reads the release.
The event will include children’s entertainment and craft activities, refreshments and tours of the updated facility including renovated community space. BGC will host a career fair in the afternoon from noon to 3 p.m.
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The Parksville Child and Family Centre will feature 91 new childcare spaces, including 37 spaces for infants to school age and 54 spaces for school-age children, as well as youth and parent programs, and community use space, according to the release.
Announced in May 2021, the city was awarded a grant for $2,034,829 to complete significant renovations to the Parksville Community Centre to facilitate the new childcare spaces and community programming.
When asked about possible confusion regarding the centre names, Deb Tardiff, manager of communications, said the city created a website, www.parksvillecommunitycentre.ca, to clarify that the PCC is located on Jensen Avenue.
“The building located at 132 Jensen Avenue East is the Parksville Community Centre and for years, has been referred to by the community as the Parksville Community Centre,” said Tardiff, in an email to the PQB News.
When asked about possible confusion regarding the names, Round said he believes the city should use the Parksville Child and Family Centre name.
“They should just use that name and leave us to our name. That’s our name,” he said.
Round added he is not aware of any legal action regarding the name intitiated by either side. He said he hopes it does not reach that point and does not want to see the society spend funds on legal fees.
— NEWS Staff