New community services building to officially open in Maple Ridge
April 20, 2022
Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Community Services has a new home with new open spaces, lots of natural light, and multi-purpose rooms.
Two storeys of windows allow for light to flow into the main foyer of the building where comfortable seating and plants welcome people to the building.
Community Services moved into the new building in February.
Executive director Vicki Kipps said the main focus was to create a welcoming space.
On the main floor, people will find programs for seniors like the Party Bus, Social Prescribing, and Meals on Wheels. The hallways are wider to accommodate walkers and scooters for people who may have mobility issues.
There is also a community room, which will be shared with groups including Rotary, Kiwanis, and the Youth Planning Table.
At the end of the hall on the west side of the building people will find legal services such as family law advocacy, community law advocacy, clinical counselling, and victims services.
“We specifically put our counselling services and our legal services down at this end. The last thing you want to do after you’ve seen your counsellor is to meander all through the building to exit,” said Kipps, noting that now people can be escorted respectfully and privately out through a side door. And, for people with mobility challenges, they don’t have to walk so far to exit the building.
At the end of the hall is a shared space, room 160B, for all to enjoy that is named the Bryan Taylor Room.
“Bryan Taylor was a very, very beloved gentleman who volunteered with us,” explained Kipps. This is her favourite spot in the building because, she said, Bryan was about creating community.
“He was happy to see everybody, he made everybody feel safe and welcome. And then all kinds of creative things happen in a multi-purpose room. Everyday is something different,” she said.
Source: Maple Ridge News
