After years of fundraising and hard work from volunteers and community members, the new Northern Water Sports Centre, located at the southwestern shore of Ramsey Lake, officially opened its doors Saturday.
The “world-class facility” – in Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger’s words – was bustling Saturday morning with eager visitors signing up to participate with the either the Sudbury Canoe Club, the Sudbury Rowing Club or the Dragon Boat Festival.
“The idea that a rowing club, a canoe club and a dragon boat festival would all come together to build a facility that we share – and a facility that allows us to do things that we can’t do independently – that is completely unprecedented,” said Thomas Merritt, past chair of the Northern Water Sports Centre.
At the centre of the facility is a large two-storey building that includes change rooms, lockers, a boardroom, banquet hall and terrace. On the ground floor is a 2,600-square foot storage area filled with a variety of boats for the three member clubs.
A second building adds an additional 4,800 square feet of storage space for rowing and dragon boats.
Ron Mulholland, the centre’s current chair, said he expects the added space to increase local participation in water sports.
“We’re going to get a bounce from this, I’m certain,” he said. “How could we not?”
The Northern Water Sports Centre was built thanks to $4 million in donations from all three levels of government, corporate sponsors and community fundraising efforts.
The centre was built to accommodate athletes with physical disabilities, and meets all the requirements to host national and international rowing and paddling competitions.
“We have a very sophisticated race course grid system,” said Mulholland.
Mayor Bigger said the facility would play in Sudbury’s favour if the city decides to move forward with a bid for the 2021 Canada Summer Games.
Saturday also marked the launch of a second round of fundraising for the centre.
The second fundraising phase has set a target of $200,000 to install proper paving stone outside the buildings, furnish the inside, and complete some of the finishing touches for the centre.
