$12.6 million in renovations leads to ‘one-of-a-kind’ community hub in Mississauga

Mississauga | Community | Latest News | Lifestyle |

By

Published April 5, 2023 at 1:14 pm

Malton Youth Hub a "hopping place"
Rendering of the new Malton Youth Hub. (Image: City of Mississauga)

A new $12.6-million community hub in north Mississauga expected to open to youths later this year is starting to take shape.

The Malton Youth Hub (Jonathan Davis Centre), which is attached to Lincoln Alexander Secondary School in Malton, is being called a “one-of-a-kind” and state-of-the-art facility.

City of Mississauga Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parrish, in whose ward the hub is located, recently took to social media with photos showing progress made to date in renovating the 18,000-sq.-ft. gathering place (see below).

The large-scale refurbishing is essentially a repurposing of the former indoor swimming pool that will serve as a spacious gathering place for young people when it officially opens in September.

The new facility, on which renovations began in January 2022, also includes a massive two-storey atrium with a glass wall overlooking a new artificial surface track and football field, and a state-of-the-art recording studio.

Late last year, Parrish described the project in a social media post as an “amazing facility under construction. The only one of its kind and calibre when completed in 2023. Will be state-of-the-art facilities including recording studio.”

On the City’s online project update site, officials say the new facility will provide services and programs “that reflect the local youth needs.”

The hub, when completed, will include:

  • a large atrium for gathering
  • a commercial kitchen equipped for teaching programs
  • a room dedicated for youths to hang out, meet and play
  • a multi-purpose room for programs, meetings and events
  • small multi-purpose rooms for working and counselling

“These spaces will be complemented with over 4,000 square feet of dedicated space for anchor partners to offer integrated programs and services catered toward youth,” City officials say.

The City issued a request for interest earlier to license dedicated hub space to four to six anchor partners that will offer programs and services beneficial to community youths.

Funding for the facility came from the City of Mississauga, Region of Peel and private donors.

They’re creating “an incredible space exclusively for youth programming including a fully-equipped teaching kitchen and a recording studio for budding artists,” Parrish said earlier in her online newsletter.

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising