It has not been without controversy, but the Town of Renfrew is hoping people can see the benefits of the soon-to-open myFM Centre.
Chief Administrative Officer Rob Tremblay says the arena’s expansion is finally at the finish line, with construction crews working on the final touches and putting together a to-do list of minor issues that can be handled in the first few days after it officially opens.
He says that all of the new additions, save for the Medicine Wheel and the Bonnechere First Nation Cultural Centre, are ready for their tenants, who will be moving in over the next few weeks.
The Cultural Centre and Medicine Wheel, which Tremblay calls a symbol of the solid partnership the town has developed with the First Nations group in recent years, is not too far behind the rest of the project and will open in the spring.
He adds that the traditional teachings that those two aspects of the project will provide will mesh well with the modern amenities of the project, including the second ice pad and walking track, the new fitness and recreation centres, the youth centre, multipurpose rooms, and more.
There were some hard lessons learned to get to this point, and Tremblay says recommendations made during the recent third-party review of the project are already shaping how Renfrew handles major projects moving forward.
Tremblay says that the town is excited to see the project come to a close, calling the myFM Centre an investment in the town and people of Renfrew that will stand the test of time and consolidate a lot of the town’s programming and services in one location.
(written by Kasey Egan)
