The Best Seats
In The House

Of all of the cornerstones of neighborhood life, there are not many that carry as much importance than that of the local community centre. These locations often serve as a backbone to their communities and offer drop-in basketball opportunities, open gym times, youth programming, family activities, and just about everything in between. Over the past 45 years, we’ve spent plenty of time in these types of communities and the centres that anchor them and always enjoy the opportunity to give back.

Such was the case with one of our more recent projects we were invited to at the Lowertown Community Centre and Pool in Ottawa. Looking to shore up some of the equipment in the gymnasium, the facility came to us after determining that their ceiling-suspended basketball winch systems needed to be converted from manual to electric. The existing manual winches had served the gym well, but staff were ready for a safer, simpler, more reliable way to raise and lower the backstops.

Located in the National Capital’s oldest neighborhood, the Lowertown Community Centre has long been a working-class, multi-cultural community shaped by French-Canadian, Irish, and later immigrant families. The neighbourhood has weathered major changes, including the large-scale urban renewal of the 1960s and 1970s, and continues to serve as a dense, downtown residential area with strong community institutions.

Given the building’s age and the acoustic-style block used in the walls, wall-mounted basketball systems were not an option on this job. With acoustic masonry being common in older gyms and multi-purpose spaces to absorb sound, its cavities are not ideal for carrying the repeated loads and torque that come with modern basketball systems.

Our solution was to keep the systems ceiling-suspended and upgrade the winches that were already in place. Using cross piles and clamps, our installation team installed the new electric winches by securing the equipment to the existing overhead structure without relying on the walls. This method aided in keeping the installation as simple as possible all while delivering a clean, professional result that respects the building’s limitations while fully modernizing the operation.

A properly specified electric winch (like the type we supply with limit switches and a self-locking worm-gear design) lets authorized staff raise or lower the system with the turn of a key. Limit switches stop the backstop accurately at the fully raised and fully lowered positions, while the gearing holds the load securely even if power is interrupted.

The result is faster changeovers between open gym, basketball sessions, and other programs, with far less physical strain on staff and more consistent, repeatable positioning every time.

In community-driven facilities like Lowertown, safety is non-negotiable. Overhead basketball systems carry significant weight and any form of failure can potentially put players, spectators, and the floor at risk.

If your community centre, school, or recreation facility is still relying on manual winches — or if wall conditions are limiting your options — we can help evaluate the structure and design a practical upgrade, no matter what constraints your facility might present.

Get in touch with a member of our team today, and we’ll walk through the best path forward for your space.