With the turn of a shovel, ground was broken recently on the new Comox Military Family Resource Centre child-care facility. The new building for the Kinnikinnik Childcare centre will replace the former facility at the corner of Military Row and Ryan Road.
"The new child-care centre will be a major upgrade compared to our old facility," said Mike Spooner, executive director of the Comox Military Family Resource Centre. "Its location offers improved access for family members and will centralize the childcare and family programs that the MFRC offers."
The new building's design will enable the facility to bring all of the child-care programs under one roof. It is being built adjacent to the 19 Wing Fitness and Community Centre and the 19 Wing Family Centre, near the entrance to the Wallace Gardens residential complex.
"In April 2013 we explored options for updating Kinnikinnik and developed the idea of creating a modern space that would serve as a suitable location for childcare at 19 Wing," said Col. Jim Benninger, 19 Wing commander. "We decided to construct an entirely new facility. This building will have 594 square metres of interior space and will consolidate Kinnikinnik's Early Learning and Infant/Toddler Programs."
Construction of the new facility is planned to be completed by April, and programs will be relocated shortly after that. While the construction is ongoing, access to parking at the 19 Wing Family Centre and the parking lot to the rear of the Fitness and Community Centre will be via Oceanspray Road.
The Comox Military Family Resource Centre is a not-for-profit society that offers a wide range of programs including Infant/Toddler Daycare, Early Learning Programs in English and French, before and after-school care, summer camps and much more.
Kinnikinnik programs are open to both military and civilian families in the local community with children from infancy to 12 years old.
The Department of National Defence (DND) holds a large number of properties all across the country to support the Canadian Armed Forces, including some 21,000 buildings; 2.25 million hectares of land; 5,500 km of roads; and 3,000 km of water, storm and sewer pipes.
Aligning with the Canada First Defence Strategy, replacing infrastructure will help produce a first-class, modern military that is ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century.
DND and Defence Construction Canada developed an open, fair and transparent competitive process to award the contract for the construction of the new Kinnikinnik Childcare Centre at 19 Wing Comox.
— 19 Wing Comox