Sod turning on Mishkeegogamang community centre

Square dances and feasts are among the events planned for Mishkeegogamang’s new community centre.
“We do a lot of square dancing in the community,” said Mishkeegogamang Chief Connie Gray-McKay. “The community centre will be able to host a lot of events, like community meetings, gatherings and feasts.”
Tristan Loon, a youth in the community of about 1,000 on-reserve band members, broke the ground during the June 12 sod turning ceremony for the new community centre, which is scheduled to be completed by July 2013.
“It’s going to be really good, especially for the young people,” Gray-McKay said. “They don’t really have access to a facility to do their recreational activities, like floor hockey, volleyball, basketball.”
The 1,450 sq. metre community centre will feature a gymnasium/assembly hall, fitness room, meeting rooms, kitchen and offices. It is being built across from the community garage just off Hwy. 599.
“It has a big kitchen — the kitchen is right off the gym,” Gray-McKay said. “The gymnasium has an indoor stage, but on the other side of that wall is an exterior stage.”
Gray-McKay said the community centre is the first phase of larger project, which includes an arena in phase two.
“Once that’s paid off, we can start the arena as phase two,” Gray-McKay said. “We couldn’t afford to finance both. The mechanical and the septic system is built up to include phase two.”
The community is funding most of the $6.2 million project with a loan with the Royal Bank of Canada, while the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation provided $1 million and the Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs provided $500,000.
In addition, the community is planning to approach resource development companies in the area for sponsorship funding related to equipment needs in different rooms in the community centre.
“Each company could pick the room they want to sponsor,” Gray-McKay said. “The kitchen would probably be the most expensive because there is a lot of specialized equipment.”
The community is also planning to have a large mural on the exterior wall of the community centre through a possible grant in partnership with the ArtsCan Circle.
The community centre was designed by Habib Architects Inc., with project management by Feherty and Associates Ltd. and construction by Finn Way General Contractor Inc.