Londoners are being welcomed back in style to a northeast-end community centre that was off limits for recreation and fun during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of London will host a grand reopening of the Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre at 656 Elizabeth Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The event will include free drop-in programs, including basketball, pickleball, and recreational swimming. There will also be live music, inflatable games, a chalk art display by local artist Bronagh Morgan, and free snacks. Five food trucks will be on hand selling everything from grilled cheese to pierogis to donuts, to plant based options.
Carling Heights spent more than two years as one of the city’s two COVID-19 assessment clinics. It operated from March 2020 until August 2022. During that time the community lost access to its community centre as the building could not host any of its regular recreational programming or activities.
When the assessment clinic moved out in August, the community centre was in need of upgrades and inspections before it could reopened to the public. It underwent flooring repairs, a HVAC system deep clean, and inspections of its pool and electrical and mechanical systems before finally reopening earlier this month.
The community centre features gyms, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and aerobics studio, and meeting rooms. Prior to its transformation into a COVID-19 assessment centre it was a popular spot for special events, tournaments, receptions, and training events.
People attending Saturday’s grand reopening event are advised to use Elizabeth Street off Oxford Street to reach the facility, as construction on Adelaide Street North has blocked off the main entrance.
