Health and Active Living Plaza

What is the HALP?

The Health & Active Living Plaza (HALP) is a multi-functional municipal plaza planned for the Town of East Gwillimbury (EG). The future home of the Health and Active Living Centre will be in Queensville off Leslie Street.

Our vision for the use of the plaza

Our vision of the HALP is to provide EG with expanded and enhanced Parks, Recreation & Culture service delivery through one door, under one roof, and at one site.

We plan to run convenient and complimentary services and programs with over a dozen community partners. Our vision is to run the following programs out of this facility:

Recreational programs
Health programs
Arts and culture programs
Community services

The HALP will be more than a recreation facility in the traditional sense. We are committed to becoming a service arranger and provider. The HALP will be a destination point in our community, offering complementary services through partnerships with local community groups.

What the facility will feature

The HALP will feature over 80,000 sq. ft. of facility space including:

EG's first-ever Aquatics Centre
Library
Maker Space and Sound Studio
Gymnasium with track and potential fitness amenities (weights and cardio)
Program Spaces with a teaching kitchen
Interior Boardwalk space with public art and an interactive nature themed play space.

What the park space will feature

The park space will embrace placemaking and feature recreational areas connected by cycle paths and trails. The park space will also include:

Teaching and reading gardens
Outdoor cooking space
A playground and splash pad
Events space (event street and pavilion)
Skate park and pump track
Multi-use sports courts (pickleball, etc.)
Outdoor program areas
Outdoor games tables
Beach volleyball
Shuffleboard and some sports field space

Artistic Rendering of the Aquatic Centre

When will the HALP open?

The HALP is planning to open once the population of the Town reaches 40,000 residents. The project is funded by development funding with no cost to the taxpayer for the design and construction of the facility.

Predicted timeline

The way forward to the HALP

2016: HALP Land Procurement 15.98 Acre Site – No cost to the taxpayer
2019 to 2021: Design and Site Plan
~2021: Prequalification of General Contractors
~2021 to 2022: Project Tender*
~2022 to 2025: Facility Construction***

*Subject to Council approval including Detailed Financial Strategy

**Facility construction is subject to a population base of 40,000 residents

Design of the HALP

The project is being guided by EG's Thinking Green standards and highlights several green and environmentally friendly features. We want to hear your input! You can take the design survey and let us know what you want to see in the new Health and Active Living Plaza!

You can find out more information on the design process with MJMA and their history on past projects.

Site plans, maps, and building organization

Photo Gallery: HALP will appear here on the public site.

Highlights

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) highlights the following YMCA services as potential inclusions at the plaza:

Active living and sports programs
Aquatics programs (including lane swim, leisure swim and instructional swim lessons)
Fitness and fitness-related programming
Childcare services
Day camps
Immigrant Services
Youth programs, including counseling and leadership
Older adult services
Employment services
Gymnasium drop-in sports services

Documents

Next steps

The Town has retained the Architectural Firm MJMA and is currently in the design phase. Staff will be attending the Town's events to receive community feedback for designing the HALP. Facility construction is set to begin in 2021/2022 subject to Council approval and would take approximately 18 months.

Photo Gallery: HALP Nov 24 2021 will appear here on the public site.