JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

It’s out with the old at Centennial Park in Dollard des Ormeaux. The park’s 50-year-old chalet was torn down last month to make room for a new $3.9-million structure.

The town is emphasizing that “accessibility” will be the keyword for the new and improved chalet.

“The new building will be adapted for access by people with reduced mobility (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.), which the old park chalet was not,” Natalia Correa, head of the city’s communications department, explained in an email to The 1510 West.

Since the 1970s, the chalet has been Centennial Park’s multi-purpose building, offering a space for park-goers to rest, use the washroom and fill up their water bottles on hot summer days, as well as a place to lace up their blades for a wintertime skate in the park.

Designed by Groupe Leclerc – architecture + design, conceptual images of the new multi-purpose chalet illustrate an exterior mirroring the previous design with its signature red roof. However, the new design includes additional windows for increased natural light. The interior features a mix of light wood slats and white walls with a stone accent wall, as well as several washrooms adapted for visitors with decreased mobility, and changing tables for parents with small children.

This new and improved chalet will offer a “more welcoming, safe and accessible space for our entire community,” the city says.

The project is expected to be completed by August 2025. Centennials Park’s trails, playgrounds and dog park will remain open throughout the construction period. Three portable toilets have been installed near the parking area in the meantime.