| Several older Calgary communities are in danger of losing their community centres because they can’t afford maintenance and renovations on the aging structures.
The city is looking at ways to organize a $1.5-million fund to help out the communities, but the problem is so widespread that many associations must come up with their own ways of generating money to keep their centres alive.
"It’s been determined that $1.5-million may not be enough," says Valerie McLean, president of the Federation of Calgary, who warns that if the groups don’t come up with the money to renovate the community centres, they’ll have to close them.
"The city owns the lease, and if they don’t get the money, they’ll have to turn over the keys."
Although the problem has been looming for years, McLean says it came to the forefront about two years ago when rising energy prices hit community associations hard.
The city set up a the Community Lifecycle Assistance Program to help them pay their utility bills, but it also drew attention to the reality that many of the older buildings were in need of renovations that already cash-strapped associations couldn’t afford.
"I think (communities) knew, but it was just something nobody seemed to think about," McLean says.
The problem was so severe in the community of Westgate that the association asked its members to pay a yearly levy of $20 to help raise more money. The levy will raise about $19,000 this year – its success will be reviewed before being continued – but Westgate Community Association president Fiona Vielguth says the building needs about $42,000 worth of work.
"I think a lot of communities in the city are in the same situation, with aging buildings," Vielguth says.
"The building is 40 years old. Fund-raising only goes so far... and you’re reluctant to put too much into it because then you can’t afford other programs."
The problem in Westgate prompted the city to look at ways of helping out other communities in need of building renovations. A decision was made to extend the Community Lifecycle Assistance Program beyond simply providing money to help deal with energy bills, and the city is currently reviewing the program to determine the best way to spend the money.
But McLean says that money likely won’t go far, and similar problems will undoubtedly dog other communities in the future.
She says some associations have set up building funds to prepare for future building problems, and she is encouraging other communities to do the same.
"Some smaller communities that don’t offer much will be the ones that really feel it," she says.
"Forewarned is forearmed, as they say." |
