Sault's Waterfront Adventure Centre opens: The $2.3-million building welcomes corporate meetings.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay

More than a century after Sault Ste. Marie residents initiated the city's first boating club, the waterfront site where it once flourished has returned to its roots, transforming into a multi-purpose site encouraging education, tourism and corporate functions.

In June, Sault College cut the ribbon on its $2.3-million Waterfront Adventure Centre, located along the St. Mary's River in the city's east end.

Designed by architect David Ellis and constructed by Barban Construction, both of Sault Ste. Marie, the centre is comprised of two buildings encompassing more than 5,000 square feet of space, with wood and neutral-coloured cladding to blend in with its surroundings.

It's been designed with multiple purposes in mind. Though it will primarily be accessed by students in the college's natural environment programs, it's also open for use by the public.

Katie Campbell, the centre's supervisor of programming and event planning, said in the five months it's been open, the centre has hosted a number of meetings for the college's board of governors and departmental staff.

But with its sweeping panoramic of the St. Mary's River, the site is poised to become a popular draw for gatherings outside the college realm.

"We're a nice spot to host a meeting--with a view," Campbell said.

Known most recently as the Rotary/YMCA Tennis and Aquatics Club (RYTAC), the site has been used for water-related leisure activities since 1902, when the Sault Boating Club built the original boathouse.

Over its life, the facility was twice destroyed by fire before the site was purchased by a local philanthropic organization and bequeathed to Sault College in 2014.

After the school put forward a case for its redevelopment, the funding started to come in: $897,000 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., $710,000 from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, $417,000 from Sault College, and $104,000 in private donations.

Construction on the facility began in 2017.

Since its opening, Campbell said more than 1,000 unique visitors have used the facility, including 200 international students, although that doesn't include those in the community just visiting to enjoy a coffee on the patio.

"A lot of people have that connection to the space because of RYTAC and the history here," she said. "So they certainly see the reimagination of a familiar place."

Anticipating demand from corporate clientele, the centre has put together a number of packages designed to enhance...