Community Centre
2081 Chemin de Way’s Mills
A bit of history, from the Union Progressive Club to the Way's Mills Community Centre
The story began in 1914 when the social activities of the people of Way's Mills took place in the "Big Hall" of the village school. It soon became clear that the town needed a much larger gathering place to meet the growing needs of the population.
After several meetings with the other members of the Homemakers Club, Clarissa Clark Bean and Elizabeth Davidson Cramer asked Willis Cramer, Elizabeth's husband, to submit a quote for the construction of a building, and proposed to gradually finish the interior. A fundraising campaign began in the village and surrounding countryside.
To finance their project, Mrs. Bean and Mrs. Cramer founded the Perseverance Club, which later became the Progressive Club, whose activities funded the construction of the building. Once the project started, the men of the village came, in turn, to give their time to finalize the work on the building.
For many years, the Union Progressive Hall was the hub of social activities in Way's Mills.
In 1995, the Municipality of Barnston-Ouest acquired the Union Progressive Hall for a nominal fee. The Municipality decided to refurbish the building, and in September of the same year, it undertook the restoration work of the Community Centre. The town entrusted this work to Luc Muyldermans, engineer and citizen of Barnston-Ouest. The job ended in June 1996, and the Barnston-Ouest Community Centre’s inauguration took place on October 6, 1996. In recent years, the Municipality installed an emergency generator, a wastewater management system and an elevator at the Community Centre.
Today, the Community Centre is still a gathering place for the population. The Municipality holds the Municipal Council meetings in the Hall, social and community events take place there throughout the year and the Centre is available for rent.