Community centre project breathes new life into former Mile End school
There was excitement in the air Monday evening as approximately 60 representatives from various community organizations, co-ops and non-profits gathered in a small room in the former Luke Callaghan Memorial School at 5611 Clark St.
They were attending the first of two information sessions (a second one was scheduled for Tuesday) by the Société de développement Angus for a new project to transform the iconic building into a four-storey community centre housing a wide variety of groups serving the public.
The seed was planted a few years back, when the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal announced plans to sell the building. Guy Arseneault, director of the Centre de la petite enfance (CPE) Alexis le Trotteur, a daycare that has called the building home for four decades, phoned borough councillor Marie Plourde in a panic.
Plourde and then-borough mayor Luc Rabouin reached out to the Société de développement Angus, which came up with the community centre idea and has made a promise to purchase the building, which it hopes to finalize this year.
“I’m so enthusiastic,” Plourde said. “I’m very happy. This kind of project can be transformative for the neighbourhood.”
Along with
a revitalization plan for the nearby Entrepôt Van Horne
and the city’s purchase of the Million Tapis et Tuiles building on Bernard St. in 2022 with an intent to create social housing, it’s part of a wave of community-oriented initiatives in the neighbourhood, she said.
Monday’s information session was led by Marilou Hudon-Huot, vice-president of development and leasing for the Société de développement Angus, who shared plans for the building, including 37,500 square feet dedicated to community organizations.
The entire building will be brought up to standard, she explained, with a complete overhaul of the electrical, plumbing and ventilation systems, the installation of new windows and the addition of an elevator to make the premises universally accessible. The next step, Hudon-Huot said, is to find prospective tenants.
“We want to meet you and understand your needs,” she told attendees, “and develop the project in synergy with you by offering services that respond to the real needs of the community.”
A series of “co-creation workshops” with group representatives will take place in the coming weeks to discuss those needs so that the building’s renovations — including wall partitions and the size of locales — are executed for maximum efficiency.
Work is anticipated to begin in the fall, with occupation scheduled for 2027-28. The building’s only guaranteed tenant at this stage is the CPE Alexis le Trotteur, which will remain on the first floor.
“This project gave us an opportunity to contribute to saving the daycare, and secure its future in Mile End,” Hudon-Huot said, “and to develop a significant service hub for the community. We hope the community appropriates the project.”
Long-term plans for the property include the possible addition of off-market housing in what is now the parking lot, on the back side of the building facing St-Laurent Blvd.
Community group representatives in attendance on Monday were impressed.
“I find it really great, from an ethical point of view, to re-valorize a building that could have been forgotten,” said Rossana Bruzzone, of the non-profit Montréal la plus heureuse, which promotes joy by creating links between cultures and generations.
“It’s super that they’re involving organizations from the start,” said Ricky Ng-Adam, of Cohabitat.cc, which seeks to find a common living space for cycling enthusiasts. “It’s a great initiative that breeds energy the same way cohabitation does, through shared values.”
Étienne Pagé and Coralie Massey-Cantin of the eco-preservation group Fondation Rivières were inspired but trepidatious.
“It’s an interesting project, though maybe we don’t correspond to their criteria of groups that serve citizens directly,” Massey-Cantin said. “But I think it could be interesting to have an environmental group involved.”
Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan was in attendance Monday. Hudon-Huot of the Société de développement Angus said the project is being made possible through a significant contribution of funds from the federal government, to be announced in the coming months.