Muskoka Lumber Community Centre

The development of the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre offers a new and exciting opportunity for Bracebridge in creating a new, multi-purpose venue, we are ensuring that our community will have new gathering spaces built to fit their needs for generations. The co-location of facilities and services offers the opportunity for a landmark multi-use community centre, providing the community with a state-of-the-art, multi-generational "social hub" that consolidates community activities and services under one roof.

The community’s vision of the Muskoka Lumer Community Centre is one of service and use to our community: we envision a space used by the entire community. Our sports-related facilities; arena, multi-sport fieldhouse, outdoor courtyard, play space and playground will service recreational groups of all ages, and also complement the infrastructure of local schools. While our library, auditorium, concession and other group-meeting spaces will be used by special interest clubs, service clubs, arts and cultural groups, and local businesses. In short, everyone in Bracebridge and our surrounding communities will have good reasons to use these new facilities.

Location: Extension of Salmon Avenue

The Town of Bracebridge is excited to announce a new legacy fundraising initiative to help support the development of the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre. The Town’s fundraising committee has launched the "Best Seat in the House" seat sale and "Buy a Bay" fundraising campaign.

Best Seat in the House Arena Seat Sale

In support of the new arena at the future Muskoka Lumber Community Centre, individuals, families, local sport, community organizations, and businesses are invited to leave their legacy by sponsoring one of the 1,020 arena seats for $500 each. A name placard will be installed on the purchased seat and will remain in place for 25 years.

Donors will receive a charitable tax receipt, issued by the Town of Bracebridge. Seats are being sold through Eventbrite, and payment plans are available for as little as $41.63 per month.

For alternative payment methods, such as cash, cheque or debit, please contact the Recreation Department at kmason@bracebridge.ca.

Buy a Bay Library Bookshelf Sale

The Muskoka Lumber Community Centre will be home to a new 25,000-square-foot Bracebridge Public Library branch. Individuals, families, community organizations, and local businesses are invited to purchase a library bay for books in support of the new facility. The new space will be home to the tools and resources to facilitate a more varied approach to learning and discovery including access to technology and important educational resources, a recording studio, Makerspace and so much more.

Bays are being sold through Eventbrite starting at $250. A name placard will be installed on the bay and all donors are issued a charitable tax receipt. To further involve the community, the Town of Bracebridge has partnered with the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation on these fundraising opportunities. Fifteen percent of each seat and bay sale will go towards the hospital’s annual capital fundraising campaign for much-needed medical equipment.

May 12

January 2024

November 2023

September 2023

Spring 2023

Early Spring

Winter 2022

Fall 2022

Summer 2022

Spring 2022

Winter 2021/ 2022

Spring 2021

As we move forward with the construction of the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre, we invite the community to invest in Bracebridge’s future with us.

The Town of Bracebridge is undergoing a community fundraising campaign to facilitate the funding of the project.

Sponsorship and Naming Rights Opportunities

All naming rights sponsorships have been sold. Thank you to these community-minded members and their businesses.

• Community Centre – Muskoka Lumber
• Arena – Muskoka Lumber
• Arena team rooms - Hoos Law (1), Muskoka Insurance (1), Gilbert and Larkin LLP (1), Kubota North (3)
• Arena Score Clock – Quemby Electric
• Ice Resurfacer – Fowler Construction
• Auditorium – Muskoka Leon’s
• Sports Hall of Fame – Norstar Exteriors
• Water Fill Stations – Siftt Electric
• Outdoor Courtyard – Muskoka Rock
• Fieldhouse – Proline Rentals and Bins
• Fieldhouse Score Clock A – Debbie Hall - Muskoka Paralegal
• Fieldhouse Score Clock B – JSW Manufacturing Inc
• Fieldhouse Changeroom A – Connor Ryan, RBC Wealth Management
• Library - Coulson Family
• Library Group Reading Room – Murray D. Locke (Hutchinson Family)
• Library Multi-Purpose Room – Castle Peak Retirement Residence
• Library Local History Room – Kenneth C. and Sharon A. Veitch
• Library Makerspace – Don and Joyce MacKay
• Library Tutorial Room A – Robert Jacob
• Library Tutorial Room B – Arno and Reina Liebster
• Library Community Lounge – White Pine Contracting
• Library Media Lab – Conklin’s Construction
• Library Teen Area - Alarm Pro Muskoka
• General Donation - Crozier Foundation, Recreation Capital Fund Foundation, The Kenney Foundation
  

Two more fundraising campaigns you can get involved with:

• The Muskoka Lumber Arena “Best Seat in the House” arena seat sale
• Library “Sponsor a Bay” sale

These fundraising campaigns will provide the opportunity for individuals, families, or organizations to make a donation to purchase a seat in the new arena or sponsor a bay in the library.

Contact Jerad Henderson, Manager of Recreation Programs and Services, JHenderson@bracebridge.ca or Crystal Bergstrome Crystal.Bergstrome@bracebridgelibrary.ca to get involved in this transformational community project.

2021 Concept Images – subject to change

Facilities

Level 1Level 2

AuditoriumLobbyArenaWarm Viewing GalleryField HouseLibrary

Playground

Total Estimate Project Budget - $75,330,000

Town of Bracebridge and Community Fundraising - more than $58 million

Province of Ontario – up to $16,862,234

• The Town intends to issue debentures of approximately $50,000,000 to fund the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre. The Town could support nearly half of this debenture requirement using its existing $1,190,000 annual transfer to the Major Infrastructure Reserve. The Town has prudently increased the size of this transfer over the past several years in anticipation of ultimately leveraging it to finance the construction of the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre.
• At existing debenture rates on a 30-year repayment period, the $1,190,000 annual transfer could be redirected to operations in order to support approximately $23,000,000 in debentures without increasing the tax levy.
• In addition, the Town’s annual recurring Muskoka Lumber Community Centre sponsorship payments secured to date, equal to approximately $130,000 per year, would support principal and interest payments on approximately $2,400,000 of debentures over a 30-year repayment term (assuming the sponsors exercise their renewal options at the end of their 10-20 year agreements).
• To support the remaining $24,600,000 in anticipated debentures needed to fund the current Muskoka Lumber Community Centre construction budget, the Town would need an additional annual debt repayment capacity of approximately $1,282,000. This equates to around 8% of the 2021 general levy.
• To obtain most of this annual debt repayment capacity, the Town intends to utilize the Lakeland dividend that historically has been transferred to capital reserves each year. Typically, the Town has allocated 75% of its annual Lakeland dividend to capital reserves, which equated to $824,550 in 2021. The Town will seek to phase-out any use of the dividend to support annual debt repayments over no more than five years. The Town intends to accomplish this using a combination of incremental revenues from assessment growth, dedicated levy increases, and operational efficiencies.
• In order to fund the remaining annual debt repayment requirement of approximately $457,450, the Town would expect to undertake moderate, phased increases to the capital component of the levy.

We will provide further updates regarding the Town’s funding strategy as the project evolves.

Project Contact: Paul Judson, Director of Finance/Treasurer 705-645-6319 ext. 3300 pjudson@bracebridge.ca

Project Contact: Cindy O’Regan, Director of Recreation 705-645-1921 ext. 3700 or coregan@bracebridge.ca