Task force report suggests new multi-rink facility in Charlottetown

A long-awaited report commissioned by the City of Charlottetown calls forthe construction of anew multi-use sports facility with two ice rinks to replace the existing EastlinkCentre.

The report, compiled by a task force of seven people over more than a year, suggests the EastlinkCentre doesn't have the functionalityto draw in bigger shows and should be converted into a community use facility.

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"One of the knocks on the building when you talk to theatrical people and promotersis that the building doesn't have enough ground toceilingspace to do things like string lights," said task force chair Mike Hennessey.

"Thedeficitsare increasing year after year. The number of events are coming down and we believe from the statistics that we looked at that they will continue to decline and it's time to start looking at theconstructionof a new one."

2 rinks in new building

In order to compile the report, the task forcelooked at how to maximize ice use in the city and how best to deal with aging facilities that the city is responsible for.

"The problem is really two-fold," saidHennessey.

"How do you look at a multi-use facility and whether we should or shouldn't be doing that as a city, or how do you make sure there's enough ice time at the community level."

The report recommends building two ice spaces in the new facility, both NHLregulation size. One should be a 5,000 seat arena and the other a community-sized space with400 to 500 seats.

There are also recommendations to include space for trade shows and enhancedrestaurantand concession spaces.

1 arena repurposed, another demolished

The plan also calls for the decommissioning of two older rinks, Simmons and Cody Banks.

HennesseysaidSimmonshad reached the end of its life and should be demolished.

The report noted repairs andimprovementsto Simmons were estimated to be about$6.4 million as of 2013.

However, Cody Banks still has useful life left in it and the reportrecommendsusing it as a dry use arena.

"Looking at thedeficitsof the facilities we're talking about there's some opportunity to do the operational things better withnew properties." saidHennessey.

Money and land needed

Two big factors need to be looked at first by city council.

The first is money.The cost of a new facilityis estimated between $74 and $81 million.

"That's going to require a lot of help," said Coun.Kevin Ramsay,chair of the advanced planning, priorities and special projects committee.

"We need funding, we need to be in partnership with everybody and that's our first main key is to talk with the province, talk to the feds and talk to our own council and see where we're going to go with this."

Finding space in Charlottetown

The second is land. The task force looked at several pieces of land, but themost viable is where theprovincialgovernment garage sits now, off Riverside Drive.

The city would have to reach a deal with the province.

"Our negotiationswill be starting with the province after Christmas," said Ramsay. "If our council approves the go ahead on this, and then we'll be sitting down with the province and seeing what the price tag is on that."

Council first has to decide if they want to go ahead with the plan at all.

Ramsay said he suspects they will make their decision early in the new year.

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