Dakota CC hard at work to serve locals

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/04/2017 (2552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s fair to say that Jonathan Toews and Dakota Community Centre have grown up together.

While the local hockey hero turns 30 on April 29, 2018; the centre, which includes the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex, is located at 1188 Dakota St., is celebrating its 30th birthday this year.

Toews, the current captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, grew up in St. Vital and first played organized hockey at the centre. His glittering resume already includes three Stanley Cup victories with the Blackhawks, and two Olympic gold medals with Canada.

According to a news release, the facility was incorporated in Jan. 29, 1987, and construction of the first phase of the centre began. Since then, it has evolved into a recreation and sports facility serving the health and wellness needs of south Winnipeggers of all ages, and become a linchpin of the community.

Fast-forward three decades since its incorporation, and the centre’s Jonathan Toews Sportsplex has almost 100,000-square feet of indoor recreation space, including two indoor ice arenas, a gym, a canteen, a nursery school, meeting rooms and a multipurpose space for various events.

Tom Thiessen, Dakota’s board chair, said when the centre opened it was intended to serve south St. Vital and the growing River Park South residential development.

“I think that, over the years, Dakota’s volunteers and staff have worked hard to make sure that our program offerings continue to be relevant to the changing needs of our community,” Thiessen said.

“When you look at our current slate, you’ll see that there are still plenty of great programs and offerings for young families, from the nursery school and mini soccer to the rally cap baseball program and our annual Santa’s breakfast, just to name a few. We have programs for people of all ages, like photography classes, yoga and bootcamps, adult league hockey, and of course, we have a fully-equipped fitness centre in the building, as well. And we’ve got a fantastic Dakota Lazers 55-plus program to encourage continued physical fitness and social interaction among our older adults.”

“Our board recognizes that, as members’ needs change, the community centre needs to continue to grow and adapt, too, while staying true to our core values. We’ve put a terrific management team in place that works incredibly hard to serve our membership, and I hope that Dakota CC will be seen as a leader in community program for many years to come. We want this club to continue to be a place that our members are very proud of,” he added.

That goal was given a monumental helping hand, when it was announced last December that Toews had donated $1 million towards the centre’s largest fundraising effort to date — the Dakota Futures Capital Campaign. Toews will also serve as the campaign’s honorary chair.

The campaign is supporting the construction of a new 60,000-square-foot fieldhouse, as well as future development on the centre’s campus. The new fieldhouse will include a 30,000-square-foot gym that will accommodate multiple court sports, and it will be the venue for other sport and recreational events at a local, national and international level. A walking/running track, and studio space for health and wellness programs will also be part of the new facility. The fieldhouse will be connected to the existing Jonathan Toews Sportsplex and construction is well underway. The fieldhouse is expected to be open in the fall, when there will be a formal open house event.

One longtime centre user said the facility has become a family affair.

“My kids have played hockey, ringette, and softball there, I’ve play hockey in an adult men’s league, and my wife in a ringette league,” said Randy Bettens, a realtor with Century 21 Carrie, whose association with Dakota dates back more than a decade.

“It’s a very good community club and facility, and its volunteer base is definitely a core strength,” added Bettens, who lives “two minutes away” from the centre in south St. Vital.

“One of the things I like about the new fieldhouse is that it will open up other sports for kids. For example, there will be multiple basketball courts that can transition into volleyball courts, and other than at school, kids may not get a chance to play volleyball. I’m looking forward to seeing the fieldhouse become completed. It’s going to be great.”

Another regular visitor became involved with the centre upon her retirement nearly three years ago.

“After I retired, I saw a notice about yoga, and I thought I’d check it out as I needed something to do,” said Brenda Scoular, a former special education resource teacher.

Scoular, who lives in River Park South, was quickly hooked, and now enjoys various group fitness classes such as yoga, aerobics and strength classes.

“The centre really means a lot to me. It’s close by, so I can walk there, and the people there are very friendly and welcoming. Plus, lots of people go south in the winter, so they’ve tailored their membership fees to that,” Scoular said.

“I’ve started to build friendships with other class members, and it’s become a social thing. Sometimes, we’ll go out for coffee. I think there’s a unique atmosphere at Dakota. And Michele (Augert), the executive director, really listened to us when we talked about our exercise programming,” she added.

Augert, herself, is excited about the future of the centre.

“We’re still on target for a fall opening,” Augert said, adding there’s been “a phenomenal amount of interest in this.”

“The campaign is going out in the community very soon, as the momentum keeps building. On top of the major gifts component, we’re looking at the grass roots component of the campaign, too, and we want the community to be involved as much as possible. This is going to be an amazing facility.”

In terms of his hopes for the future, Thiessen said continued efforts to make the centre all-inclusive to the community, and beyond, is key when it comes to fulfilling the facility’s goals and objectives.

“With our expanding program options and ability to host community events, we’re doing our very best to ensure that the community centre is a place where everyone feels welcome, whether you’re attending an event, watching a game, stopping by the canteen to grab a coffee or a bite to eat, participating in a sport or a fitness activity or a class of some sort,” Thiessen said.

“I really believe that vibrant community centres are at the heart of healthy and sustainable communities. And I believe that Dakota Community Centre has played a critical role for River Park South over the last 30 years, and hopefully we’ll continue to serve our community well for many years to come.”

Go online at dakotacc.com for more information.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com

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