North Bay City Council voted 10-1 in favour of moving forward with the $63-million option for the construction of a twin-pad arena and community centre to be located at the Steve Omischl Sports Complex on Lakeshore Drive during a special meeting of council.
For more coverage of the arena decision: 'It's time to move forward' — how council justified arena vote
On Monday evening, the council approved the staff recommendation to move ahead with the change order for the final design and construction plus contingency. This option ensures the community centre substantially meets the original functional program, avoiding the higher costs and logistical challenges associated with adding items later in an operational facility. With it comes a guaranteed maximum price of $61,435,000 plus a contingency of $1,065,000 and $500,000 in internal costs for a project budget of $63 million for construction.
According to a staff report, "The revised funding plan increases the Municipal Accommodation Tax and the Casino Funding by $500,000 each along with increasing the Reserve transfer from Completed Capital Projects by $2,000,000. Should the City be successful in obtaining additional funding there is the option to reduce either the reserve funding or Special Debt."
See also: Three options available to council for new arena project
Two other options were on the table but barely discussed at recent public meetings. They included potential cost-saving options, such as removing the second-floor walking track or reducing parking spaces but staff indicated these adjustments would impact the centre's functionality and would be more expensive to implement at a later date. An option to abandon the project was not seriously considered.
After about a dozen years of fits and starts and sometimes heated deliberations, the project has its green light. The new building will feature two ice pads, a large community room and expanded recreational spaces to support sports field users. Construction is targeted for completion in August 2026.
Coun. Jamie Lowery was the only member to vote against moving forward.
See: Committee moves $63M arena option to council for vote
Last Thursday evening, a committee of North Bay City Council received presentations and asked questions about the final design and pricing options for North Bay’s proposed twin-pad arena and community centre project from the design-builder and City of North Bay staff.
City staff and design team lead EllisDon Corporation strongly recommended the option with a proposed guaranteed maximum price of $63 million, including contingency and internal costs and acknowledged it was above the initial target budget.
"While this figure is above the original $59.5 million target, it includes the amenities and programming needed to meet the functional needs of the community as identified during the planning phase," noted a staff report prepared by CAO John Severino.
See: Ongoing arena saga is local top story of 2023 say readers
In the early stages of this project, the idea floated called for a $30-million build with a hopeful cost-sharing arrangement with the provincial and federal governments of one-third each. In 2023, a revamped project was proposed and moved to tender at $52 million, with half of that amount poised to be covered by the federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. Less than two years later, the GICB money is still in play but the total cost is $63 million.
See the full special council meeting below:
