Parents fear loss of Water World to new Catholic Central

Parents who count on the Windsor Water World community centre for their children are now worriedthe facility may close to make way for a new Catholic school scheduled to be built nearby.

On Monday, the provincial government announced $26 million in funding to replace the agingCatholic Central high school.

• Board gets nod for new $26M replacement for Catholic Central
• Catholic Central students plead for new school in Windsor

To make way for the new building, the City of Windsor plans to offer a property on Wyandotte Street East between McDougalland Glengarry avenues to the school board for $1.

Windsor Arena, which sits on that property, is expected to be knocked down. The board would not confirm withCBC News whetherit plans to keep the community centre open, which has raised concern with parents.

"We need this centre," saidSuha Korea. "It's a little bit of a change of pace for us. We meet beautiful families and it's kind of education for us, because I'm a newcomer here in Canada, so we needthis centre."

Korea uses the community centre's Ontario Early Years program, which takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. She and her family live blocks from Water World after moving here six years ago.

The program is a major factor in her five-year-olddaughter's life, Korea said.

Free programs available to families

Majida Alkhafaji is visiting from Michigan and previously lived in Iraq as well. She said there is nothing like Water World in Michigan. The centre has helped her in the short time she's been here with her autistic son.

"The centre helped me a lot,"Alkhafajisaid. "They called the hospital for me. They found some people to take care of him. They found some help with his situation."

Families using Water World are concerned about it's potential closure

8 years ago

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Mothers who bring their children to Water World are worried about what they can do if the community centre closes.

Parents appreciative the proximity to the free daily programs.

Coco Liao takes her two-year-old daughter to Water World and says both she and her daughter like the teachers and the community centre. Theydon't want to see it shut down.

"We don't have a car," Liao said. "It's not easy for us to go out, especially with winter coming."

Parents said the centre was the only thing close enough for them to use.

'It becomes a major blow'

Closing community centres hollows out a neighbourhood and causes it to lose its identity, saidDorianMoore, an architect and instructor at the University of Windsor.

"At first, you lose that sense of identity and you also lose a sense of pride within the community," he said. " It becomes a major blow."

Moore suggestsconsolidation is an issue in Windsor, pointing to theclosure ofthe pool at Water World for the new aquatic centre and the site selection for the new mega-hospital. He says consolidationis typically done for efficiency, but that doesn't always mean it's best for the community.

"They want to consolidate everything, but I think what we'll find over time is the need to de-centralize these facilities also," Moore said. "It'll come. It may take 20 years before we realize it, but we will realize it."