Multi-purpose fieldhouse in Saint John back on the table

A new committee from Exhibition Park Racewayis fundraising for a multi-million dollar athletics fieldhouse on its Saint John property.

An updated proposal for theGreater Saint John Fieldhouse Project, estimated to cost upwards of $27 million,was presented to Saint John council on Monday night.

It received a funding commitment of $4.2 million, which is contingenton funds from the federal and provincial governments.

The board of EPR agreed to commit $5 millionand is in the middle of a campaign to raise an additional $3 million.

Bill McMackin,head ofthe project teamspearheadingthe fieldhouse, says there has been interest in a multi-purpose athleticscentre for a few years, but the option didn't quite align with the City of Saint John's long-term investmentinrecreation.

"The city's real focus is recreation. High performance sport or team sport is a lesser focus these days, but wellness is a big issue, so we worked to match those needs that are more current," hesaid.

McMackinsaidthe proposalwas on the verge of dyingbut user groups felt it was too important a project to abandon.

A committee was formed to research and update the plans, which now include a running and walking track, skating rink,a turf field, and multipurpose complex that can accommodate different sports.

"[The city] did desire to do a signature recreation project, our goal was to position this project to fill that part of their mandate," McMackin said.

"Once they saw how we could provide for future development opportunities, the location has real value from a sports tourism point of view I think we had a package that was well tuned up, and council was supportive."

The group also had to research how it would handle water runoff on the EPR propertyin the flood-prone area ofMcAllister Drive.

It enlisted the help of engineering company,CBCL Limited and landscape architect group, Glenn Group Ltd. to incorporate water drainage into the site's plans.

"The area we created to hold water, we can turn it into a nice park space, we can put some trails there and really it will be a nice enhancement to the east side," McMackin said.

McMackin said it was crucial to gain the support of the city before the groupapplies for funding from the other levels of government.

"They always want to know the municipality considers it a priority, obviously in this case the City of Saint John does, and they want to know the users and business community are behind it too," he said.

The project committee will also look to surrounding towns and local service districts for support. McMackin estimates the user base for the project will extend as far as Sussex and St. Stephen.

The plan is to have construction started in the summer or fall of 2016, McMackin said.