A downtown Trail warehouse could be used as a shelter, a community hub, or a recreation facility, a community survey suggests.
The Trail Skills Centre, which owns the building and is expected to stop operating at the end of September, conducted the survey from April 2 to May 30 to ask about the future of the 4,500-square foot, three-storey warehouse.
According to a summary of the findings, they received 93 respondents, of whom 37 were residents and 32 were staff from other nonprofits and community organizations.
“While we were looking for ideas for the warehouse, the issues identified affect the whole community, beyond the Skills Centre’s activities and mission and the building itself,” the summary read.
The top four responses to a question about what the warehouse could be used for were: indoor recreation, community hub/gathering space, youth centre/after school programming, and emergency shelter or warming/cooling centre.
Many pickleballers completed the survey, the summary noted, adding that the old Zellers location in the Waneta Plaza might be another place that could accomodate a multi-use sport facility.
The existing La Nina shelter has 25 beds, versus an actual homeless population of about 60. The facility was suggested last year as an emergency shelter location, but building inspectors would not allow it to be used for that purpose because it doesn’t have sprinklers.
Another idea was the creation of a community hub with shared space for non-profits and programs
The summary noted that figuring out what to do with the space will require multiple groups. Some community members have already indicated a willingness to continue with in-person planning sessions.
“I am hopeful that the ideas in this survey will help shape future programs and services in the Trail area,” Skills Centre interim executive director Emily Gora said in an email that accompanied the results.
In a follow-up interview, Gora said the information could be useful for other community organizations or potential buyers of the building.
“If there’s a group who wants to advocate for more shelter spaces, they can say this community consultation was done and there’s a need in the community,” she said.
