Stellarton is one step closer to a new multi-use recreation centre

A rendering showing what the inside of the former rink will look like once renovations are complete. (Stellarton Memorial Community Centre Association/Facebook - image credit)
A rendering showing what the inside of the former rink will look like once renovations are complete. (Stellarton Memorial Community Centre Association/Facebook - image credit)

Stellarton, N.S., is one step closer to transforming its former ice rink into a new modern community centre with multiple sport courts.

A $2 million investment in the Stellarton Memorial Community Centre Association project from the province will help restore the exterior of the building and reconfigure the interior.

"It'll absolutely be a great indoor facility, a multi-functioning and efficient and affordable place for well-needed indoor recreation for sports and otherwise," said Darren Stroud, president of the association.

According to the town's website, the rink was built and gifted to the town by coal miners in 1947. It closed in 2019 after the town determined it couldn't afford to modernize it.

Stellarton Memorial Community Centre Association
Stellarton Memorial Community Centre Association

The town sold the rink to the association for $1 in 2020. Since fall of that year, the community  — both monetarily and in kind — has raised more than $200,000 for the centre, Stroud said.

While the space could be two or three years away from opening, Stroud said there is a high demand for more indoor recreational space with local sports teams competing to use the limited space currently available in high school gyms.

"I would really like to highlight the fact that this is a broadly community-focused project so everyone involved with it is just thrilled with the idea of it being a well-needed indoor facility that's going to address the needs of the broader community, Stellarton and beyond," Stroud said.

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