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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 17 ,2 01 9 | 14 waterloo.ca The City of Waterloo is expanding the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex which will include an older adult centre. Thursday, January 24, 2019 Hauser Haus Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex 2 - 4 p.m or 6 - 8 p.m. See the proposed architectural and interior designs with the help of a 3D model and a virtual tour. Share your comments and ask questions! DESIGN UNVEILING Regional roads & uptown streets Major arteries, bus routes, streets with hills Residential streets (after 8cm accumulation) During a snow storm, we plow roads in the following order: waterloo.ca/snow Winter weather and road conditions are monitored by the city's operations staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We clear roads, sidewalks and trails according to provincial maintenance standards and municipal bylaws. There are a number of factors including temperature, forecasts and precipitation that determine how and when plowing, salting and sanding take place. Each snow plow is assigned a designated area of the city and clearing is carried out on the basis of the above priorities. We ask for your patience during a storm. We'll get to your street as soon as we can. Heather Patel saw the opportunity, and she jumped all over it. The founder of Play-A- Latte Café in the Chicopee Hills area, a mother of two young children, saw there wasn't a place for both par- ents and kids in her area - or all of the region, for that matter - and she decided to do something about it. "We have young kids and didn't really have a place that was accommo- dating for both kids and adults in Kitchener," said Patel. A year and a half ago, Patel and her husband Ro- nak decided to go for it. In about a month, the hard work will pay off, as they open the doors at their lo- cation at 1601 River Rd. E., in the Chicopee Park Cen- tre Plaza. The space includes a full-service café with, of course, coffee, as well as sandwiches and other nu- tritious food. Separated by a glass divider is a large play area for kids that will be a large custom-ordered wooden play structure where kids up to age seven can play while being super- vised by their parents. Heather, Ronak and their two children, Kieran, 3, and Maya, 1, live about five minutes from their se- lected location. It's a spot they chose carefully after searching throughout the region. They noticed the Chicopee Hills and Stanley Park areas were void of ca- fés, as well as places for children to play. "It was kind of a gap in the community," Heather said. On top of the café and play area, Heather has left two large rooms for pro- gramming space. They haven't quite decided the scope of what will be provid- ed, but it allows for space for birthday parties, as well as seminars from experts and support groups. Heather, who is a social worker, saw it as important to include the community- centred space. "We have so many ide- as," she said, adding that some of the ideas are new- mom support groups, in- fant massage, talks about sleep and health-related topics, as well as paint and craft nights. Although the idea came easily to the Patels, it's been an adventure to get to opening day. "Stressful," said Heath- er when asked to describe the process of starting a business. "Things that you expect to be easy and not a prob- lem end up being harder and more expensive than you thought possible." Compounding the stress is the unique nature of the business. When it comes to licensing and safety, it falls under a number of catego- ries with the City of Kitche- ner. "Parenting can be isolat- ing, especially when kids are young. At Play-A-Latte, we want to create a com- munity. A one-stop shop where you can get yourself a good coffee, something yummy and nutritious to eat, and sit and relax while your child plays," Heather said. Hours will likely run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The business is currently hir- ing an early childhood edu- cator, as well as baristas to service the café. Ronak and Heather Patel, centre, are opening a new cafe called Play-A-Latte in the Chicopee area of Kitchener. With a young family, Maya, 1, left, and Kieran, 3, right, the pair saw an opportunity to combine a play space for kids, plus a cafe for adults. Adam Jackson/Metroland NEW CAFÉ INVITES PARENTS, KIDS TO 'PLAY-A-LATTE' BUSINESS SOON-TO-OPEN VENUE COMBINES CHILDREN'S PLAY SPACE WITH ADULT CAFÉ ADAM JACKSON ajackson@waterloo chronicle.ca