BWG Celebrates the Official Grand Opening of 177 Church Street

BWG residents, Council and Dignitaries at the grand opening of 177 Church Street

After two years of construction, the Town of BWG officially opened its doors at its 177 Church Street building during a grand opening ceremony on June 27.

Together with Tony Van Bynen, Member of Parliament for Newmarket—Aurora, the project team, town staff, tenants, and community members, the Town of BWG proudly celebrated the transformation of the former Bradford Public School. The revitalized building is now an accessible, modern, and thriving hub that offers an array of services for the community.

Nearly one hundred people gathered on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the grand opening during an official ceremony, consisting of a ribbon cutting, refreshments, and a guided tour.

The Town purchased the 1950s-era building in 2020 with a vision to transform it into a centralized community and social service hub for all residents to use and enjoy. As of June 2024, tenants have completed the necessary renovations to their spaces and are moved in and ready to serve the residents of BWG.

“The accessible, central location of the new Community Hub makes this centre a one-stop shop of social supports for community members. Projects like this provide the social resources and networks people rely on to thrive in their daily lives.”– Tony Van Bynen, Member of Parliament for Newmarket—Aurora, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“177 Church Street is more than a building – it’s a community-centred facility offering social services and Town programs. It’s a place of support, a space to gather, and a welcoming environment that the entire community can utilize and enjoy. This is a long-awaited and highly anticipated grand opening and would not be possible without the dedication of our project team and DOMM Construction, as well as the support of our federal government through their Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.”
– Mayor James Leduc

The 30,000-square-foot facility features a large lobby and reception area, a commercial-grade kitchen with an adjoining multi-purpose room, meeting rooms, and is home to four tenants: The Helping Hand Foodbank, WOW Living, Catulpa Community Support Services, and Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions.

Construction began in May 2022, with an anticipated grand opening of Fall 2023. However, there were a few setbacks along the way, including scope changes due to structural discoveries and material delivery delays during early construction. The Town’s portion of the renovations were officially completed in the Fall of 2023, but our tenants had to complete further renovations and retrofitting to their spaces. The Town worked closely with its tenants to move them into the building promptly as a few had to vacate their former spaces.

“Despite the construction extending past its anticipated completion date, we are pleased to see our tenants finally settled into their spaces, adds Mayor Leduc. “Our staff can now look at ways we can best utilize these community spaces, like the multi-purpose room, kitchen, and meeting rooms.”

The total construction cost for the redevelopment of 177 Church Street was nearly $10.3M. The Town received over $5.3M towards the project from the federal government’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) Program.

BWG is excited to see the positive impact this facility and its tenants will have within our community. Hours of operation will be established based on programming. The Town will be scheduling municipal programs and the community spaces will be available for public permit in the near future.