It’s been her second home for nearly three decades – and for residents of New Westminster’s ‘Boro, the Queensborough Community Centre would be nothing without Renee Chadwick.
Chadwick came to the centre in 1987 as the recreation programmer. Three years later she was promoted to the position of manager, a position she continues to occupy today. Chadwick calls the ‘Boro her second home as she spends most of her days there – and it shows.
Sandeep Bhangu remembers playing with his friends at the community centre after school and on the weekends while growing up in Queensborough. Today Bhangu’s own children take part in recreational activities at the community centre.
While the community centre has gone through some changes recently with the renovations and additions to the old building, the purpose of the centre remains the same, Chadwick said.
“It’s not just a recreation centre, it’s a community centre, and so we have really strong ties to the community,” she said.
As Queensborough’s population increases, Chadwick and her staff keep their ears to the pulse of the community in order to offer residents services and activities they need and want.
“The changes, in regards to the kinds of interests and what people are looking for out of the community, are reflected in the kinds of things we do here because as new people move in, they come in with new ideas and experiences that they want to have in their neighbourhood as well,” she said.
Chadwick and staff at the community centre listen when people come in with ideas or suggestions, whether that means introducing new programs or adjusting existing ones, she said.
“We’re very responsive to the needs of the community, we don’t just tell people, ‘Oh well, you’ll just have to wait until next time.’ We are responsive to them (the community) and very much customer service orientated,” Chadwick said.
The community centre, which celebrated its grand reopening this summer, offers a variety of services for Queensborough residents. Touted as the city’s first network hub, the centre offers recreational activities and sports for the whole family, a satellite library branch, multi-purpose rooms, an expanded fitness centre, licensed child care for children three to five years of age, police work spaces, a community kitchen and a living room with a fireplace.
As new families move to Queensborough, Chadwick is optimistic the community centre will remain an important part of the neighbourhood.
“There is still that strong sense of community and those ties with one another here. Even though there are new people moving into the neighbourhood, they have just fallen into the whole sense of community, the sense of belonging, the whole connectivity with neighbours,” she said.
