7 April 2023
Ottawa’s Granite Curling Club looking to a bright new future
With the BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men’s Curling Championship being staged in Ottawa, it is fair to say that April is a pretty important month for the local curling community.
But for one particular group — the members of the Granite Curling Club of West Ottawa — the month of September will also be important, with the doors opening for the first time on their brand-new home.
The move from their current home, built in 1953 when the club was established, has been years in the making, dating back to 2017. Then, the club faced a massive hike in property tax, with the prospect of the annual bill skyrocketing even more.
The growing desirability and development of property in the current club’s locality, brought about largely by the building of Ottawa’s new light railway transport system, was the main cause of this financial challenge. However, the club recognised there was opportunity too, and established a Redevelopment Sub-Committee to explore possibilities.
Recently-retired member Greg Mathieu agreed to chair this sub-group and along with his hand-picked committee members, he set out on what turned out to be a seven-year mission.
Greg explains, “In 2017, we realised we were in for a big property tax hike. We had a big jump, but we didn’t know how much bigger it would get. So, we started looking at other ideas. At the same time, developers could see what’s happening along this development corridor and they started knocking at our door.”
Exploiting that interest in purchasing the club’s land and building, Greg’s committee put information out to six developers, asking for proposals.
“We then selected Granite Private Equity Limited Partnership (GPELP), comprised of three major companies, in 2019. Then we went to our members and asked them if they agreed to what we were doing, in October 2019.”
Decision to move
Greg explains that the new site was the third proposal to be looked at, with the first two options having to be ruled out. The next step proved to be decisive.
“In August 2020 the developer came to us with a potential site. We had a look at it, and then took it to the members. We had a meeting in March and about 97% voted in favour of the concept. We demolished the building on the site in June 2022 and we’ve worked since then to get the new building up. Now we anticipate having the interior done by May.”
A pleasing feature of this whole project as far as the club and its members are concerned is that the developer, GPELP, is taking care of business on the project. It means that there is no significant call on club resources – be that money or volunteer help.
Greg confirms, “The partnership is building the facility for us. We had an original building cost of $CAD 8, but it has now come to $10m, and the developer is helping with that increase.”
Another crucial aspect is that the club will move into its new facility without losing any playing time – this season finishes in the existing building, and the new one gets underway in the new clubhouse.
“We’ll have an idea of take-up for next season at the end of April,” says Greg.
“Once we see that, we can turn our attention to diversity and adding community engagement. Curling clubs aren’t as diversified as lots of other sports, so here’s an opportunity to perhaps change that.”
When Greg talks about the new facility, it is obvious that their new home will be a major step-change for club members.
“It’s going to be at a very accessible location within our catchment of West Ottawa, four kilometres west of where we are currently, and at a junction on the main highway. People can access us directly from the highway.”
“We’re able to broaden the social area but we’re going to stick with four sheets. Curling Canada tells us that you can service 125 members per ice sheet and we’re in that ballpark of membership – about 450. We have every reason to believe we’ll be back up to that level and, because of the location, we think recruitment will be successful.”
Accessibility key factor
Greg continued, “The new venue will be wheelchair accessible. We’ve put an elevator in for that. So, wheelchair accessibility will be improved. There will be male and female locker rooms with washrooms. There will also be an accessible washroom and another one which could be designated family or as needed.”
The current Granite building has its playing surface at ground level, with off-ice facilities below. The new clubhouse is going to be different from that.
“The new site would have ice on the ground floor and a second floor above, so we have two nice viewing areas and the ability to take social functions of about 150 people and keep them away from the curling crowd that’s on and off the ice all the time.”
Having attractive social facilities will open the possibility of a new income stream for the club, and Greg highlights that too.
“We like the fact that in the new facility we will have air conditioning in the social areas so we can run beyond the typical curling season. We want to welcome the community, but we have to be careful that we’re not competing with the private sector because we have non-for-profit status. But members can do a lot of things there – weddings, birthday parties and other activities, but we’ll need advice on what else we can do for the community.”
So, in a matter of weeks, the Granite Curling Club of West Ottawa — one of 42 curling clubs in the metro area — will be moving into a new fit-for-purpose home. The members will clearly benefit from this move, but what’s in it for the developer?
The answer is straightforward – GPELP will take over the old building, demolish it, and then go on to build two 40-story buildings, complete with living apartments, and then go on to sell them in Ottawa’s bustling property market.
The best phrase to describe this situation? … Win, win.
Engage with the World Curling Federation during the BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men’s Curling Championship 2023 on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Weibo and be searching the hashtags #curling #WMCC2023
