NOW OPEN: Garnet A. Williams Community Centre
Join the grand reopening event on Dec. 10!
Good news, Vaughan: Garnet A. Williams Community Centre is open! After being closed for extensive renovations, the Ward 5 community centre is reopening its doors with an official community celebration on Sunday, Dec. 10 – come on out and explore the new facility!
The City of Vaughan’s official grand reopening event will take place on Sunday, Dec. 10 at Garnet A. Williams Community Centre (501 Clark Ave. W.) at 4:30 p.m. It will include refreshments, on-site activities such as an interactive DJ, a colouring mural, a photobooth and a balloon artist, formal remarks and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Following the ceremony, guests are also encouraged to take part in a Chanukah Celebration until 6:30 p.m. inside the facility.
Learn more about the event at vaughan.ca/events.
About the renovations
The Garnet A. Williams Community Centre is deeply rooted in the city of Vaughan’s history as its oldest multi-use community centre. Since 1984, the community centre has provided residents of Thornhill with quality leisure programs and activities. Other than regular ongoing maintenance and repair work, the facility had not been significantly altered since it was expanded in 2005.
Through previous public engagements, the City reached out to facility users to understand what types of facility and programming improvements were most desired – you spoke and we listened! Based on the feedback collected, as well as sustainability planning and a review of best design practices, the community centre was redeveloped to improve functionality and design. Extensive renovations began in May 2021.
The centre includes:
a new main entrance
a new arena entrance
a new lobby
a new customer service desk
new activity and program rooms
renovated pool change rooms and a new family change room
renovated fitness centre change rooms
direct access to the new exterior sun deck and York Hill Park
a new outdoor splashpad at York Hill Park
enhanced accessibility features
a refreshed pool and exterior pool patio *opening in 2024*
This renovation reinforces a culture of design excellence through functionality, accessibility, sustainable design, urban design, architectural design and citizen experience. The improved centre now further connects the community, all while enhancing and enriching the quality of life for those who live, play and retire in the surrounding neighbourhood.
The Garnet A. Williams Community Centre is fully open for its fitness members (view classes at vaughan.ca/fitness), recreational drop-in sports and swim (view schedules at vaughan.ca/sports), and registered recreation programming (view programs at vaughan.ca/recreation). Registration for all drop-in activities can be done at vaughan.perfectmind.com.
To learn more about the renovations, visit vaughan.ca/GAWCC.
For updates and news as they happen, subscribe to Vaughan News and follow the official corporate channels on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
