After a little more than two years of construction, Bradford’s social-services and community hub is ready to host a variety of services and events.
Sunny weather matched the bright spirits and cheerful atmosphere as more than 80 residents, dignitaries, members of council and town staff celebrated the official grand opening of the town’s hub at 177 Church St. on the afternoon of June 27.
“I’m proud to stand here today to officially introduce and welcome you to 177 Church Street, a shared vision of several terms of council, that has finally come to life,” Mayor James Leduc said.
The mayor called the opening “a special milestone” for a “beautiful piece of community infrastructure” that will help address “Bradford’s increasing need for different community support services,” while also offering “much-needed rentable spaces.”
The town created the hub by renovating the old Bradford Public School, and now the 2,787-square-metre facility is home to the Helping Hand Food Bank, WOW Living, Catulpa Community Support Services, and Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions.
The main entrance leads into an open and accessible lobby and reception area with plenty of seating and large windows to fill the space with natural light.
From there, signage directs guests to various different amenities, such as rentable community spaces, which includes three programming rooms converted from classrooms and the large multi-purpose room, which is at least double the size of the gymnasium it replaces.
That multi-purpose room also includes a new commercial-grade kitchen featuring a gas stove and oven, electric convection oven, two commercial refrigerators, a large sink and, in future, a commercial dishwasher is expected to be installed.
The building also includes accessible washrooms and even an accessible shower.
For more information on renting municipal facilities, visit the town’s website or call 905-775-5366.
The north wing of the building is mostly dedicated to the food bank, while the south wing is mostly for WOW Living, both of whom moved into the hub just before the holidays last year, but were operating out of temporary spaces while their contractors continued work.
The food bank was able to transition into the new space by early March, and now has full offices, a reception area, a warehouse featuring a commercial-grade walk-in fridge and freezer, and in May, launched their new marketplace for clients.
“Setup like a small grocery store, we’re thrilled to be able to offer our clients this upgraded shopping model, giving them more autonomy, more choice and most importantly, more dignity,” food bank director Claire Jones said.
In addition to rows of shelves filled with baked goods and non-perishables in the middle of the market, coolers and freezers line the outside with produce, dairy, eggs, beef, chicken and pork, and even a dedicated section for Halal foods.
There are non-food items on offer, too, such as feminine hygiene products.
More information about the food bank can be found at bradfordfoodbank.ca.
Contractors for WOW Living needed a little more time, so it wasn’t until about mid May that the charity could fully transition to their new space, which includes a lounge and warming centre with comfy couches, books, films and offices; plus the Hand Up Clothing Room full of gently used pants, shirts, shoes, coats and more for people of all ages. The items are hung on racks and shelves like a small department store. And the space has the Out of the Cold Cafe with plenty of seating and a pool table surrounding the new kitchen which includes: a full stove, oven, commercial fridge and freezer, industrial-sized sink with two faucets and full stainless steel backsplash, two microwaves, a toaster and coffee makers.
“In four years of running the cafe, this is the first time we can actually make food in our own kitchen,” WOW executive director Jodi Greenstreet said, calling the new hub “pretty awesome” and “one real gift.”
Monday featured the first meal prepared in-house including pea soup with onions carrots and ham, and on Thursday Ashleigh Miller was running the kitchen serving up portions of apple pie and homemade mac and cheese.
The charity serves clients six days a week and sometimes sees as many as 70 a day, according to Greenstreet, who emphasized the benefit of the new accessibility features.
More information about WOW Living and the services they offer, can be found at wow-living.ca.
The whole building wraps around a courtyard featuring a poured concrete base, benches, gardens, trees and a gazebo.
On the east side of the courtyard there’s also a separate set of gardens for the food bank to grow fresh fruit and vegetables, and to the east of that is the old school field.
On June 4, council voted to include in fall’s budget discussions a concept for a new park on that field.
The town purchased the three-acre property from the Simcoe County District School Board for $5.1 million in October 2020, and by early February 2021 had initial plans for the hub.
Construction began in May 2022, and the hub was originally anticipated to open in fall 2023. Unexpected issues meant the town’s portion of renovations weren’t officially completed until fall 2023 though, at which point contractors for the tenants had the opportunity to begin work.
The total renovation cost to the town almost $10.3 million, offset by about $5.3 million from the federal government’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.
Speaking during the grand opening on behalf Minister of Infrastructure Sean Fraser, Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen called the hub an “excellent example,” of how investments are “making a real and significant difference in the lives of our communities.”
“Building community hubs close to home provides access to the social networks and services that are vital to Canadians,” he said.
Terry Foran, director of community services, estimates the building will now achieve an energy efficiency gain of about 48 per cent.
Previously, the food bank and WOW Living operated out of 123 Moore St. and 31 Frederick St., which the town donated in 2021 to LOFT Community Services, who held a demolition kick-off event at the site in April to make way for a new Bradford House, intended to provide “deeply affordable” housing for seniors.
