Grey County awards construction tender for new EarlyON facility in Hanover

Grey County has awarded the construction tender for a new EarlyON Child and Family Centre in Hanover. The new facility will replace the current centre with a modern, fully accessible building featuring enhanced program space that better serves families and meets growing community needs. Council made the decision at the January 22 session of Committee of the Whole.

"Investing in our children's early years is one of the most important things we can do as a community," said Grey County Warden Andrea Matrosovs. "EarlyON centres provide valuable support for families as children grow and learn. I’ve seen firsthand how my granddaughter thrived during EarlyON visits and how it benefitted the parents, like my daughter, too. By building this new accessible facility, we're ensuring that families in Hanover have access to high-quality early learning programs for years to come."

The construction tender was awarded to Allen Hastings Limited at a cost of $1,928,129. The new facility will be located at Lot 22, Plan 846 (17th Street Crescent) in Hanover. JPM Architecture Inc. was retained to design the building and oversee construction.

The current EarlyON centre located at 515 9th Street no longer meets operating needs due to aging infrastructure, limited parking, and lack of accessibility. The new facility will include two playrooms, three office spaces, a meeting room, a kitchen, accessible washrooms, and outdoor play areas. The building is being designed with energy efficiency in mind, featuring an all-electric heating and cooling system with no reliance on fossil fuels.

EarlyON Child and Family Centres offer free, high-quality programs for families and children from birth to six years old. Parents and caregivers can learn and play with their children, meet other parents, and get advice from early childhood professionals.

The project is being funded by the EarlyON Accessibility Reserve, EarlyON Centre Building Reserve, Child Care Mitigation Funding Reserve, and department surplus funds. The build is scheduled to start as soon as weather permits and be completed by the end of 2026.

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For media inquiries contact Katrina Peredun, communications officer, at communications [at] grey.ca (communications[at]grey[dot]ca) or 519-370-7064.