The City of Burnaby is looking at the best use for 3,340 square feet of space in the Bonsor Recreation Complex.
The space is currently occupied by the Bonsor Seniors Centre, which is relocating to the Centre for Older Adults being built nearby. The completion date estimate for the new 8,600-square-foot centre is September 2013, according to Wendy Scott, assistant director of parks, recreation and cultural services, but the opening date has not yet been finalized.
The city is looking at converting the centre in the Bonsor complex into a multipurpose space, she said.
"We're in the initial planning stages, with staff taking a look at where our highest demands are," she said, adding staff are looking over registration numbers and waitlists for the complex, as well as program requests they haven't been able to fulfill as of yet. Staff is also considering what's already at other community centres in the city, she added.
The next step is to find an architect to develop a design for a cost-effective renovation, according to Scott.
The city wants to get the best use out of the space possible, she said, which is why staff are looking at multiple uses.
But multipurpose spaces can be more challenging to design, as multiple uses must be considered, Scott pointed out.
For instance, managing air conditioning, which might need to be high for one class and lowered quickly for the next one, such as a yoga class, she said.
The architect might say the air conditioning system needs to be upgraded to achieve that, she added.
The city has a budget of $150,000 for the redesign, according to Scott, and hopes to begin a request for proposal process in August or September.
The total cost of the renovation is expected to be between $1 million and $1.5 million.
