New community centre opens in Old Aylmer
Sophie Demers
Fifty partners, elected officials, and community members gathered on February 22 to celebrate the official opening of Maison Communautaire d’Aylmer. Partenaires du Secteur Aylmer (PSA), who also celebrated their 20th anniversary that evening, worked countless hours to set up the 1875 heritage building as their new home. The building, the former presbytery of St. Paul’s Church, is located at 61 rue du Couvent in the heart of Old Aylmer.
The evening consisted of a ribbon cutting, live music, wine and tasty bites. The guests were served by Acti-Leaders, who are teenagers hired, trained and paid by PSA through their Acti-Leader program for teens.
Lisa Lagacé, Director General of PSA, said that when preparing the building they prioritize conserving the heritage feel of the interior. “We've been discussing the need for more space with our partners for nearly 10 years now,” she stated. “When we heard about the opportunity to rent this space from the church, we knew we couldn’t pass it up.”
The Maison Communautaire d’Aylmer will serve as a place where partners and the community can meet, exchange ideas, carry out activities, and training. The heritage home includes a large meeting room that can accommodate up to 40 people, a large kitchen with fridge space, and upstairs are smaller office spaces that partners will be able to rent at an affordable cost.
“This will allow our partners with offices in Gatineau or Hull to bring their services directly to the Aylmer community. It gives space for services that meet the needs of the Aylmer community. We envision this home as a hub for community activities, projects and initiatives,” said Lagacé.
The decor and furniture were all sourced by the PSA team members. The small but mighty team accomplished the work all while continuing their full-time commitment to the organization.
The services offered by the Maison Communautaire will certainly benefit the community, but for the time being, they will be offered through our various partners. A next step could give access to other groups or associations within the community, and perhaps in time, directly to the community itself,” said Samuel Koukpaki, administrative and liaison Assistant with PSA.
“We would like to thank all our supporters; through their work and financial support we were able to make this happen,” said Lagacé highlighting the City of Gatineau's support for the organization.
PSA was created in 2004, and since it was founded, the organization has worked with its partners to make Aylmer a warm and welcoming place for all to develop and flourish within the community.
