The Fisher Field change rooms and bathroom building is officially open in time for the 2022 soccer season.
Town staff and council cut the ribbon for the new building with representatives from the architecture firm and construction crew as well as the Collingwood United Soccer Club (CUSC).
Mike Cullip, president of CUSC, said the club has been working with the town and asking for the permanent washroom facility for several years and he's excited to have it open.
The building includes two change rooms and four all-gender bathrooms as well as a changeroom space for game officials.
CUSC contributed $60,000 toward the project, money collected through membership fees. Until now, only portable toilets were available at Fisher Field, which features several soccer fields and is also used by local rugby teams and ultimate frisbee groups, among others.
Cullip said the CUSC's membership is close to 1,000 players this year, which brings the club back up to membership levels similar to the 2015 season.
The town's director of parks, recreation, and culture, Dean Collver acknowledged the project experienced delays, and actually started more than four years ago with early designs brought to council in the early summer of 2019.
The building cost was about $1.5 million (based on an April 2021 report), most of which was spent on bringing water and building septic systems for the facility. Most of the budget, except for the CUSC contribution, came from the town's development charges saved for growth-related projects.
Architect Shane Laptiste of Studio Contemporary Architecture as well as representatives from Icon Builders (the construction team) attended the official ribbon cutting as well.
Laptiste said he was excited to build something that would meet the community's needs.
The dressing rooms have a raised roof with a window to allow natural light into the space.
"We wanted a sense of natural light in the change room, so it's calming, but also it's a change room so it's durable," said Laptiste. "I just wanted to create a small opportunity of beauty."
The washroom facility is located at the west end of the fields on the Sixth Street side.
