Chatsworth continues to prepare the site selected for a future multi-use community hub, but when the township may actually embark on the multi-million dollar construction project remains unknown.
Mayor Scott Mackey says the township is dependent on infrastructure grants from the provincial and federal governments to make the Chatsworth community hub a reality.
He says the focus right now is on community fundraising and preparing to “be ready” for whenever another application period for grant funding from other levels of government opens.
In 2020, Chatsworth was unsuccessful in receiving approval for funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
“There hasn’t been another round of (grant intakes) that have been announced yet,” Mackey says. “But we are trying to prepare ourselves for when those infrastructure grants do become available so we’re in a position to make a good application again.”
“We want to be prepared and have the site ready to go, and have all of our architectural plans in place so we can submit another really good proposal,” Mackey continues. “That’s what we did last time but the amount of dollars available just wasn’t there.”
The township has selected the site where the future community hub will be built: the property of the former Chatsworth Arena near the split of Highways 6 and 10 in the village.
Nearly 17 acres of land is available at the old arena site after the township received land donations from two families in 2019.
Mackey says site works are ongoing at the property to get it “shovel ready”. Some grading and landscaping will be going on in August. A number of local contractors have already made in-kind donations to do some of the clearing and mulching of trees on the site.
And there are plans to create a green space with some amenities for community use.
“With possibly walking trails around the site and a memorial garden. We’re looking at a new ball diamond,” Mackey explains. “We just don’t want to see a vacant lot. We want to turn it into a least a park space. That’s kind of what’s been approved by council so far.”
Conceptual drawings of the proposed community hub were completed three years ago. The cost of the facility was estimated then at around $15-million, and the township worked under an assumption it could finance about one-third of the price tag through community fundraising efforts and a long-term debenture.
Mackey acknowledges whenever another opportunity to apply for grants to help pay for the hub does become available, the overall cost of the project is something that will have to be re-examined. Inflation hasn’t made it any cheaper.
“I’m sure it’s up 30 or 40 per cent just based on other contracts we’re seeing coming across with inflation. The cost of everything has increased dramatically in the last two years,” Mackey says. “We would have to re-evaluate what the cost would be and it’s got to be something that’s do-able for the tax base.”
The Township of Chatsworth Community Hub Campaign has been organizing a series of fundraising events to work towards a multi-million dollar long-term goal.
Mackey says there is certainly a commitment from council to do the site work and get it shovel ready, but there’s really no way of knowing how long it will be until the necessary funding comes to move ahead with a build.
“A lot of these things are long-term planning,” Chatsworth’s mayor says. “I can’t tell you how many years this is going to be. But I do know you need to start planning well in advance for any large project.”
