Report advances plans for new Charlottetown sports, entertainment centre

Plans for a multimillion-dollar sports and events centre in Charlottetown are moving ahead, but the city says it willbe a while before there are shovels in the ground.

Areport from Sierra Planning and Managementreleased Friday, which the city has endorsed, lays out guidelines for funding and implementation.

Charlottetown Mayor Phillip Brown saidhe seestwo objectivesin the report. They are building a new facility in the long term, but also replacingSimmons arena in the short term.

"The long-term goal is to put together a plan, a funding plan, a construction plan for the new multi-use sports entertainment centre," Brown said.

He said the multi-use sports, entertainment and cultural centre could take as long as nine years.

The mayor compared the project to the construction of Moncton's Avenir Centre in Moncton, which opened in 2018.Brown said that took about 13 years.

He said an announcement on aSimmons arena replacement will be coming "sooner than later."

Costs and fundingstill unknown

In a 2017 report, Charlottetown's newfacility was estimated to cost $80 million. Based on the new report, itcouldrange anywhere from $75 million to $95 million, depending on size.

The report saidthese costs will only go up andrecommends looking to all levels of government, corporate donors, as well as the community.

Ottawa isnot offering any funding because there are expected to be professional and semi-professional teams in the facilities,including theCharlottetown Islanders hockey team and the Island Storm basketball team.

The consultants recommended thatthe new centre should be built at the site of the old government garage on Riverside Drive.

The cost of environmental cleanup on the site would be in the millions.

"I think we're very positive about this report ... byadopting it, that means we have to act on it," said Brown.

The new facility could house up to a5,800-seat main arena, as well as a second community ice surface. There would be space for concerts, theatre and trade shows.

Wayne Long, the city's events development officer,echoed the mayor's comments on the centre not happeningovernight.

"I would say we're somewhere in the range of the threeto fiveyears, if everything aligns and the government and other partner funding dollars are available to us in order to execute the plan."

The facility will notbe ready for the Canada Games in 2023. There will be upgrades to the existingEastlink Centre, which Long said can easily accommodate the needs of the games.

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