Municipal officials in Chatham-Kent appear to be speeding up their timeline for the construction of a new girls' dressing room at the arena in Ridgetown.
Supervisor of Recreation Facilities for the Ridgetown District Darren Goyette previously told Blackburn News that funding for the project would require approval from Chatham-Kent Council, but a new release from the municipality appears to indicate otherwise.
That release, sent out late Wednesday afternoon, says "in response to concerns about the alternative room location and available amenities, a new dressing room will be constructed in the same location as the other dressing rooms in the arena, with equitable amenities," adding "construction on the new dressing room will be completed by January 8, 2018." Chatham-Kent Council's next meeting is scheduled for January 15, 2018.
The location of the current makeshift girls' dressing room in what used to be an accessible washroom was one of the key concerns for members of the South Kent Minor Hockey Board because it is located in a different part of the arena than the other dressing rooms and it is in an area that is easily accessible to members of the public.
The release from the municipality states that the new room will accommodate up to eight female players at the same time, and meets the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association recommendations for proper square footage.
Municipal officials are also clarifying that the current girls' dressing room is only used by girls who are playing on co-ed teams and that teams made up entirely of female players are still able to use the full-size dressing rooms.
The release states that even though one of the dressing rooms has been leased to the Chatham-Kent Cyclones, the team has been "open and receptive to sharing their space by having it available to teams of either gender during tournaments."
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