Cambridge Centre Mall chosen for ice rink, gym portion of multiplex

Cambridge Centre Mall will eventually be home to new ice rinks and gyms after Cambridge City Councillors voted in favour of building the non-aquatic portion of its multiplex at the Hespeler Road location.

It became the favoured spot after Sears Canada announced it would be closing its location at the mall. The new sitewill include three rinks including the existing ice rink, three gymnasiums, and a walking and running track with room for the sports hall-of-fame.

Councillor Frank Monteiro, who is alsochair of design and content for the project said it became a popular spot for people for its central location as compared to the original choice of Conestoga College.

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Councillors' voted unanimously in a special meeting Monday night to proceed with the plan which has been almost three years in the making. They're still working to figure out where the aquatic portion will be built.

"There was a demand by the citizens of Cambridge that they wanted a 50 metre pool," said Monteiro."We have to find a location and a partnership with someone. We have a couple of irons in the fire to see how it's going to go. But the aquatics has to be somewhere else."

A report on a location and partnership with the aquatic centre as well as a memorandum of understanding with the owners will come before council in early 2018.