The opportunity to provide feedback regarding the draft Grand Bend Community Centre Feasibility Study closes soon.
The online submission form is open until August 21.
The Municipality of Lambton Shores recently posted the draft document to its website and held an open house at Grand Bend Place.
Mayor Doug Cook said the August 14 public forum was very well attended with approximately 50 to 75 people.
"We've had so much input from the community, we're almost overwhelmed with the support that we know we're going to get," Cook said. "Right now, we're just trying to figure out what the actual community centre is going to look like."
Monteith Brown Planning Consultants Limited was hired in 2023 to develop the study, which found that "there is a case to be made to provide a community centre" based on need and forecasted population growth.
The draft said the population of Grand Bend is estimated at approximately 3,700 and is projected to grow to 6,000 by 2041.
The study's assessment found that a future community centre should include a large and flexible multi-purpose space, with high ceilings and kitchen/ storage amenities so events and sports activities could be offered.
The centre should also include at least one multi-purpose program room, an intergenerational space, and an indoor walking circle.
Optional enhancements to consider would include a library branch, a dedicated fitness studio operated in partnership with a third party, space for other private sector partners such as childcare or social services, and a space conducive to arts and cultural programming.
The estimated cost for the proposed project was calculated near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic at $10 million, however, construction costs have since increased.
"There will be a significant amount of capital that will need to be secured through other funding sources which will need to be defined through a more fulsome financial analysis after site acquisition/development and construction costs are identified," read the document.
Based on public feedback, the report said 40 per cent of respondents indicated their indoor recreational needs were not being met in Grand Bend. Among those travelling outside the beach community to attend indoor recreational activities, 35 per cent stayed within Lambton Shores and 65 per cent travelled to a different municipality.
Seventy-eight per cent of respondents also said the development of a community centre in Grand Bend should be a high priority for council.
"There are currently no multi-purpose meeting and program spaces in Grand Bend that are owned or exclusively operated by the Municipality of Lambton Shores," read the report. "The primary market is served by a gymnasium and classroom that can be used for meetings and certain programs at the Grand Bend Public School, spaces that are referred to as the Grand Bend Recreation Centre."
Cook said the consultant will deliver their final report to the Grand Bend Community Centre Ad Hoc Committee on August 27.
"Then it will come to council on September 10 for final review and approval," he said.
If approved, Cook said the project would move on to phase two.
"Which is going forward with design concepts and then reaching out to the community for fundraising," Cook said. "We really don't have a full site location yet either so until we figure out what size community centre we're going to build, then we have to figure out the location of where it's going to be built on."