November 19 was a chaotic and happy day. Packing material flew and equipment was checked off on clipboards as the Boyle Street Community League took possession of the new Boyle Street Community Centre.

It’s a real change for the BSCL board members, staff, interns, and volunteers to move from spending time in meeting rooms, up to our ears in paperwork, to finally be in the Community Centre’s rooms, up to our ears in packing materials!

“Back in 2009 it was a dream,” said Thim Choy, president of the BSCL board. “In 2010 it was a historical moment when we did the sod turning. Now in 2012 it is a reality. And it’s really nice to see it come to the reality! ”

The BSCL has worked with the City and the YMCA to make this project special. It’s a type of collaboration that hasn’t been done before, and sometimes it seemed that we would never see an end. However, there we were, our voices echoing in the huge, bright Flex Hall, the adaptable Multi-Purpose Room, the kitchen, the two cozy function rooms, and the attractive, welcoming foyer.

Ah, that new-building scent – how delightful! Community members will have a sniff of it on December 12 from 4-6 p.m., when 95.7 Radio broadcasts from the building as part of their Twelve Days of Christmas series and the community is invited to drop in and see the centre come alive. Programming will start in January. Also, watch for notice of the Grand Opening early in 2013.

Almost three years in the making, the new Centre was built by the City of Edmonton and is leased by BSCL on a long-term lease. The design of the Centre was based on years of community consultation. By the use of moveable walls, the architects created incredibly adaptable spaces from large to small.

The big Flex Hall welcomes community activities ranging from sports to festivals, as well as private events rentals. Its moving east wall opens to the glass-walled gallery and eventually to the outdoor amphitheatre and park. A giant projection system obtained by a Living Local grant will project a 30’ long by 10’ high art project onto the outside of the flexible wall.

The Multi-Purpose Room is equipped as a little theatre, and it too has a moving wall, which will allow it to be used as a stage for a larger audience or as part of the Flex Hall for a festival, sports event or function. Two smaller meeting rooms which can be opened up into one, and a kitchen and bar with a hatchway into the Flex Hall, complete our current function spaces, all served by a spacious foyer with a welcome desk. Space exists for a future recording studio in the basement (fundraising for that starts as soon as the dust settles!)

The Boyle Street Community Centre shares the Boyle Street Plaza building with the Shirley Stollery YMCA Day Care Centre and the YMCA Family Resource Centre. The Plaza is part of Boyle Renaissance, Phase 1, which also includes the Melcor YMCA Village, a 150-suite apartment building. Between them is a park to be completed next spring, including an outdoor amphitheatre and a community table and artwork.

The result is a warm, welcoming heart for the Boyle Street community to use and enjoy.