Les Chater Family YMCA | ? | 2 fl | Complete

[SteelTown]

Since this is located on Hamilton Mountain I guess it goes to "Downtown and City of Hamilton" section instead of the suburb section.

Les Chater Family YMCA

The new multi-centre complex is being built in Turner Park on Rymal Road, just east of Upper Wellington. It will offer Y programs and services, health care services in partnership with Hamilton Health Sciences, and a licensed child care centre. It will also include a new branch of the Hamilton Public Library, along with the existing police station on the site, city-run sports fields and a children’s playground, and a soon-to-be-built skateboard park.

The Les Chater Family YMCA honours Les Chater, who passed away last month at the age of 97. A YMCA member since he was 10 years old, Mr. Chater was a retired engineer at Stelco and the benefactor of a $1-million donation to support the building of the Mountain YMCA.

The $18-million facility has been the focus of a fundraising campaign, with large and small gifts made from across the city and beyond, including a $2-million gift from the Ontario government and $500,000 from the Chedoke Health Corporation. Today’s ground-breaking event also marks the start of a community campaign on Hamilton Mountain to raise the remaining $600,000
needed to fund the project.

The Les Chater YMCA is slated to open in 2009.

“The YMCA has operated a branch on Hamilton Mountain from 1959 until 1982 and we are pleased to return to this community,” Ms. Flaherty says.

* The Les Chater Family YMCA is being built as a multi-centre complex with a new building to house YMCA programs and services, a day care centre, health care services provided in partnership with Hamilton Health Sciences, and a public library branch. The complex will be located in the City of Hamilton’s Turner Park and will also include a police station - already on the site - city-run sports fields and children’s playground, and a skateboard park to be built by the municipality.

* The YMCA itself will include a licensed child care centre (for 34 preschool children), a pool and aquatics centre, meeting facilities, gymnasium, conditioning centre and five change rooms – including a family change room.

* Rehabilitation programs will be offered in YMCA facilities, in partnership with Hamilton Health Sciences.

* The Les Chater Family YMCA will occupy 53,000 square feet of space, including a common foyer. The adjoining Hamilton Public Library branch will occupy 25,000 square feet.

* The YMCA facility will serve approximately 9,000 people annually.

http://www.ymcahb.on.ca/locations_hamiltonmount.cfm

Some photos that I have of the building under construction....

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/hammer396/IMG_2811.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/hammer396/IMG_2813.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/hammer396/IMG_2814.jpg

I'll try and get some better pictures of the entire complex soon.

[Millstone]

Good, the downtown location is getting pretty dumpy.

[raisethehammer]

I hope to see this kind of investement in the downtown location someday soon.
This location is literally almost out of the city. Stupid place for it.
Central Mountain somewhere would have been good.

[Millstone]

I hope to see this kind of investement in the downtown location someday soon.
This location is literally almost out of the city. Stupid place for it.
Central Mountain somewhere would have been good.

The downtown one is in a poor situation because all the good stuff is crammed into the basement, with antiquated changerooms. The Waterdown location is not much better because it's just crammed on the second floor with no breathing room. The facility I used to go to in Fort Erie was built in 1990 and is much better than the main location of a city of 500k.

[hammergirl]

I'm planning on getting a membership.

[SteelTown]

Work on skateboard park set to start
New facility at Turner Park expected to be ready in five or six months

By Mark Newman
News
Aug 15, 2008

The construction site at Turner Park on the south Mountain is expected to get busier next week as work on a new skateboard park is set to begin.

"We're ready to go," said project manager Le' Ann Seely, who noted the initial stage of construction will involve a couple of weeks of underground drainage work.

She expects it will take at least three or four weeks before something is visible to the public.

The $500,000 project, which will include a children's play area, is going in on a .45 hectares (1.1 acre) strip of land between the Division 3 police station and the new Mountain YMCA-library that is currently under construction on Rymal Road, just west of Upper Wentworth.

Once completed, activity at the skateboard park will be monitored by its police neighbours.

Ms. Seely said they hope to have the 32,000 square-foot concrete skating surface, which will include flat and bowl areas, finished at about the same time work wraps up on the new Y.

The new YMCA is expected to be completed sometime in January 2009. Ms. Seely said if the recent spell of wet weather continues it will likely slow work on the skateboard park.

To make room for the new skateboard facility, some parking on the west side of the police station will be lost.

Ms. Seely said a large, new parking lot will be built on the south side of skateboard park that will also serve the police station and YMCA-library.

[raisethehammer]

so kids will need their moms to drive them to the skateboard park??
weird.

[DC83]

^^ well there are no sidewalks along rymal in this area, so unless these kids want to risk getting run over, then yes... their mom's will have to drop them off. Paper lunchbag and all ;)

[SteelTown]

Rymal and Stone Church are both suppose to get fixed up, that's been happening for what over 5 years now? Piece by piece too, especially Stone Church, when are they ever going to fix Stone Church from West 5th to Garth????.

[DC83]

^^ I agree. That whole area was poorly planned. Townhouses seperated from Upp Wellington by a 'driveway', new homes being built so their backs face the street, no widewalks or if there are they just end abruptly.

It goes to show the lack of organization city planners had a decade ago.

[Hammer Town]

I noticed yesterday that a huge frame is up at Fennell and West 5th on this property.
I assumed it was going to be for a big sign/picture of a construction project there. This confirms it.
It might make sense for an urgent care centre here, but not the south mountain.
Duvall, Whitehead etc.... need to get that out of their heads. There simply isn't the population.
The city is wasting a ton of money by putting a new Y/library out there. It should have been built in the Mohawk Rd area somewhere, not on the fringe of the lowest density part of our city.

I disagree. On the YMCA part.

Only because 20 years ago Limeridge Mall used to be the edge of the city. regardless of what everyone hope the city is only going to continue to expand that way. Not only that as far as I know anyone can use a YMCA I could be wrong on that, but if Im not that means people from Haldiman county could also be using this facility.

[raisethehammer]

sorry, but I could care less about people from Haldimand county. They can build their own Y.
If the city sticks with it's own growth plan (which would be a first) the city won't grow much further south past Twenty Rd where it currently is.
The Limeridge Mall comparison doesn't work now.

Also, I heard an interview with this Smith fella from St Joes and he said it's not an urgent care centre.
Apparently the interview wasn't relayed properly in the Spec (shocking).

[markbarbera]

Sorry but I think you're way off about the location of the new Y on the mountain, RTH. This kind of facility should be placed here. First off, there was no available land along Mohawk. And these kinds of facilities will attract more density to its surrounding neighbourhood. Without the Y on Rymal, there is absolutely no reason to consider any development beyond single family homes. It also happens to be in close proximity to several senior homes and affordable housing sites, a demographic that will definitely rely on the facilities it will offer.

Like it or not, Rymal is a primary road where development is imminent. Best we put the facilities in place that will encourage a more dense development. Better to develop another Concession Street than another Stone Church Road.

As far as urgent care center is concerned, a mountain site is indeed needed, preferably in close proximity to the Linc so it is easily accessible to all residents of the southern part of the city, from Ancaster through to Binbrook. IMO, the location of urban medical facilities should always be driven by geographic proximity primarily, then scaled to meet density requirements.

[flar]

That area up on the south mountain will never be dense, but yes it is best that any major facilities are placed on Rymal. At least they can be serviced by transit even if the residential areas can't be. It is a disaster area up there from an urban standpoint though, you really can't walk anywhere because everything is too spread out (I often play baseball at Turner Field).

[raisethehammer]

I'll bow down and worship you if Rymal road is made into a dense area.
If all we now know about proper development isn't enough to change the status quo out there, a Y won't be.

[adam]

Once sprawl starts to shrivel up and die like it is currently doing in the US, places like Rymal road won't be useful for much at all. Might take a few years though.

[Hammer Town]

Im sure if they built the Y on mohawk rd there would be someone complaining about how it should have been built on Rymal to meet the needs of the growth coming out that way.

[hammergirl]

There used to be a YMCA on the mountain. On Upper Wellington near Queensdale where St John's Ambulance is now.

[SteelTown]

That was the YMCA? Whoa haha, it looks like a giant portable.

The old cop shop suppose to be demo'ed and replaced with housing.

[raisethehammer]

Im sure if they built the Y on mohawk rd there would be someone complaining about how it should have been built on Rymal to meet the needs of the growth coming out that way.

yea, Lloyd Ferguson. Lol.

[hammergirl]

That was the YMCA? Whoa haha, it looks like a giant portable.

The old cop shop suppose to be demo'ed and replaced with housing.

It was a YMCA till 1982. I don't remember what programs they had there. As a kid I had swimming lessons at the YWCA on MacNab and my dad met many of his closest friends through programs at the James Street YMCA so the Upper Wellington branch wasn't part of my family's life.

[Millstone]

I'm ending my membership with the Hamilton/Burlington YMCA and getting a St. Catharines membership. It's really tragic that Hamilton can't figure out how to maintain their facility.

[SteelTown]

YMCA building campaign goes over the top
CHML
1/8/2009

A prime example of giving back to the community.

Local business man and philanthropist, Mischa Weisz, has helped to bring the Campaign for the building of the Les Chater Family YMCA, over the top.

He's donated $500,000, which will also establish a YMCA Endowment Fund for children’s community outreach programs.

The $19 million facility located at Turner Park on Rymal Road East will be part of a multi-centre complex which includes a library, police station, YMCA and skate park.

It's slated to open in April.

[SteelTown]

That skateboard park is hugely popular, I probably see well over 50 kids during after school hours. Can't imagine what it'll be like during the summer.

It's nice since it makes Rymal St look more dense and active with the new YMCA and the skateboard park. Plus it's nice to finally have sidewalks.

[SteelTown]

With library, skate park, Turner's a new city hub

May 25, 2009
Lisa Grace Marr
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/571502

The opening of the Turner Park library branch on the south Mountain reflects the changing landscape of Hamilton.

Resident George Ruttle, 82, calls the area the "uptown of the city.

"We've got everything we want here, restaurants, shops, and now this great library."

Ruttle and his wife Nancy have lived on the Mountain for about 56 years. He's seen a lot of changes, but he says the rapid development along Rymal Road near Upper Wentworth is exceptional.

The $8.7-million library -- along with the new Les Chater YMCA, the police station, playparks and skateboard park -- is quickly becoming the focal point of the neighbhourhood.

The library is filled with light, is just one level for easy access, and is built with an eye to the future.

Jennifer Gautrey, chair of the Hamilton Public Library board, said several new features grace the library, such as electronic tags for self-checkout, and an extensive computer lab.

"We can run this library more efficiently than a library half of its size," she said.

"(The city) knew with the development of the south Mountain, they needed to grow with the community. There is a lot of new development, a lot of different ethnic mixes, genders, ages."

Karen Anderson, branch manager, said the library will serve about 70,000 people in an area roughly bounded by the Linc, Upper James, Twenty Road and nearby Upper Wellington.

Ruttle said in the 12 years since he and his wife built their home in the area, the community has been transformed.

"When we built this place, my wife said she was worried about someone building behind us, near Twenty Road," he said. "I said we will never see houses there in our lifetime. I was a little off -- there are about 600 there now."

Scott Duvall, Ward 7 councillor, said Turner Park Branch is in the largest ward in the city by population with about 68,000 residents.

"We're actually running out of room. Rymal Road is the new target for some intensification of development," he said. "This is a beautiful complex. It's amazing that it's really for everyone: seniors to kids."

Duvall said the trick now is to protect the remaining small greenspaces and parks that dot the ward and not just rely on the big parks such as the Rymal Road site.

Anderson said the library has the largest number of under-14-year-old customers and the programming will reflect that.

The programming will also serve many others, including computer classes (two were already filled to brimming), an area just for adults complete with a stunning fireplace, study and meeting rooms, a job search centre and a teen hang-out room.

Madison Alessi, 11, and Shauna Horst, 12, are thrilled with the complex and with the finds in the well-stocked teen library. The two go to the Y's teen night Friday nights, the pool and then stop in at the library.

"We really like to come here, so do a lot of our friends," said Horst.

Shaden Saleh, mother of three girls 11, 12 and 14, is sitting at a table directing the kids and their friends with snacks in tow in the lobby between the Y and the library.

"We come here all the time ever since it opened," she said. "This will be great in the summer for the kids to have something to do. It was so hard to take a bus everywhere."