The W.C. Blair Recreation Centre in Langley Township is going to be expanding, starting soon, after a funding announcement on Monday, June 28.
The announcement this week was for $400,000 in funding as part of a federal and provincial COVID resiliency fund.
The money will be part of $2 million in federal and provincial funding going towards a major upgrade and expansion of the building, which is more than 30 years old.
W.C. Blair will get a steam room, a fitness centre that’s doubled in size, and increased space for multipurpose rooms.
The pool itself won’t be expanded.
The funding is part of an application the Township made for up to $2.5 million in expansions earlier, said acting mayor Bob Long.
A few items were left off the project list, such as a walking track and more electric vehicle charging stations, but the rest of the projects will be funded entirely by higher levels of government, without Township funds being needed, Coun. Long said.
“There’s noting beats getting together at a community centre,” Long said at the announcement Monday, which was also attended by B.C. Minister for Municipal Affairs Josie Osborne and Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Ken Hardie.
Construction is expected to start as soon as this summer, as the funding was for shovel-ready projects, Long said. Completion of the renovations and expansion will be sometime next year.
The pool area of the W.C. Blair Rec Centre saw a major renovation that finished in 2018.
READ MORE: W.C. Blair Pool is back, and it was missed
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