Accessibility upgrades for the Archie Dillon Sportsplex are in the works, and the search for funding is ongoing.
At the May 15 Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC) meeting, the City of Timmins recreation services department asked for a letter of support for a grant through the province’s Inclusive Community Grant Program.
“It’s meant to remove barriers from community participation for folks, so seniors, people with disabilities, and even small children in this case too,” said Madison Mizzau. “We had heard a story that the buttons in the showers are really hard for small children to push.”
Mizzau is the community development consultant with the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) and is writing the grant application.
The grant amount could go up to $60,000, but facilities and recreation manager Lynne Grenon said the current estimate of the cost for the work that needs to be done is closer to $20,000.
“The quote that we’re waiting on will be the highest priced one because we want to add the two push buttons to the change rooms, and we don’t have staff on hand to do that,” said Grenon. “Hopefully, it’ll be in in the next couple days, but the rest of the work our staff can do.”
The sportsplex is located on Theriault Boulevard and houses the municipal pool and an arena. This grant application is for renovations to the pool facilities.
The renovations the grant would fund include new push buttons for changing room doors, an adult changing table, and motion sensors on the existing showers.
MAAC recently purchased an accessible lift to help people with mobility issues enter and exit the pool. The funds came from the accessible parking account.
RELATED: Return of accessible lift making a splash at Timmins pool
There was discussion about adding a lift with a sling to help people transfer between wheelchairs and other equipment to the list of things the grant would cover. More information is being collected on the cost so that it can be included in the grant application.
These steps toward making the building easier to navigate may help boost the number of users at the facility, said MAAC member Julie Lemieux.
“I used to go swimming, but I stopped,” she said. “But if we get all these barriers away, I might go back.”
The committee passed the resolution to give a letter of support to include with the grant application.
The grant proposal will include letters of support from the Cochrane Temiskaming Resource Centre, Community Living Timmins, and the Timmins Age-friendly Advisory Committee.
The grant application submission deadline is May 22, 2024. Work on the building can not start before Aug. 1, according to the grant’s eligibility criteria.
