Construction beings on new child care centre at the Castlegar and District Community Complex
By Regional District of Central Kootenay
Construction of the new child care centre at the Castlegar and District Community Complex (CDCC) officially broke ground on Tuesday, April 27. The new facility, to be built on the grounds of the CDCC, will provide 30 new child care spaces for local families. The project is being delivered through a partnership with the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s (RDCK) Castlegar and District Recreation Commission (CDRC) and Kootenay Family Place (KFP). KFP is a registered non-profit organization serving the needs of children, youth and families throughout the West Kootenay Boundary region.
“The child care centre will be a great addition to the Castlegar Recreation Facility and we thank the Ministry of Children and Family Development for recognizing the need by way of financial support of the project,” said Dan Rye, Chair of the Castlegar and District Recreation Commission. “This facility will answer the need for quality child care in our area and most importantly support families with a safe place for their children to learn and grow.”
“Increasing access to quality, affordable and inclusive child care is essential to helping families in Castlegar thrive,” said Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West. “By working with partners like the Regional District of Central Kootenay, who understand the unique needs of our communities, we’re making progress on universal child care that works for everyone.”
The RDCK, CDRC and KFP with funding support from Columbia Basin Trust, successfully applied to the Province’s Childcare BC New Spaces Fund to support the new, licensed spaces in Castlegar.
The project was officially announced on March 13, 2020 and is expected to open in late September 2021. The centre will be situated across from the skateboard park, adjacent to the complex pool, facing south. Access to the tennis courts and pickle ball courts at the CDCC will not be impacted by the construction.
In addition to the 30 new spaces, the facility will offer 20 licensed pre-school and after school spaces, providing part time care in the mornings and after school. The CDCC will have access to the facility for programming and school break camps when not in use for child care. A child care project committee has been formed with representatives from the RDCK and KFP in order to ensure a cohesive and mutually beneficial facility.
In July of 2020, Cover Architecture was awarded the contract for design services and in April 2021 Alfred Horie Construction Co. Ltd., was awarded the contract for construction services for the child care centre. The design is a standalone building which incorporates an innovative cross laminated timber wood product in the exterior walls and roof, produced locally by Kalesnikoff.
For more information regarding the childcare services that will be offered at the CDCC and status updates on the construction project, click here.
Incorporated in 1965, the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is a local government that serves 60,000 residents in 11 electoral areas and nine member municipalities. The RDCK provides more than 160 services, including community facilities, fire protection and emergency services, grants, planning and land use, regional parks, resource recovery and handling, transit, water services and much more. For more information about the RDCK, visit www.rdck.ca.
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