Charlottetown seeking plans for new Simmons Sports Centre

A request for proposals for the schematic design for the replacement of Simmons Sports Centre in Charlottetown is expected to be issued by the end of the week.

Coun. Terry Bernard, chair of parks and recreation, said the city is moving forward with plans to replace both the arena and the pool.

He said the RFP will be posted for two weeks. When a proposed design is completed, the next step will be to take the ideas to a public meeting.

"When that schematic design is done, we'll go to a public meeting to show people what we're looking at and what we're planning on," said Bernard.

"During that time we'll also be looking to take some feedback, see what people think, get their comments and any other ideas before we go to final design."

Bernard said the city has already received some input from members of the public, including requests for a walking track and a community room.

Earlier this year, council was moving toward simply tearing down the aging rink and pool, and building a third rink at UPEI as a replacement.

That sparked a neighborhood movement to save Simmons. In February, a report found that adding a third rink at UPEI was not feasible.

Council voted to proceed with a replacement on the site at Simmons at the end of last month.

More from CBC P.E.I.