Council motion seeks answers on community and recreation centre

North Bay City Councillor Jamie Lowery will table a motion at the Tuesday, Dec. 6 regular meeting regarding the contentious proposal to build a community and recreation centre adjacent to the Steve Omischl Sports Complex on Lakeshore Drive.

Lowery and the motion's seconder, Coun. Justine Mallah will call for CAO David Euler to bring forward a status report in a special committee meeting on the controversial proposed development that was a hot-button issue during the recent election campaign. If passed, the procurement process will be "placed on hold until such time as the Class A estimate has been submitted and the business plan approved by Council."

See related: Shortlist of contractors selected for new Community and Recreation Centre

The notice of motion was put forward, Lowery says, so the newly-elected council can "better understand where the municipality is in regards to the process," and, "more importantly to learn details of the business plan and how it benefits the entire community from a service delivery standpoint and community building," in echoing notions on the project from his campaign platform.

Mallah, the chair of the community services committee responsible for the project says she supports the motion asking the CAO to bring forward a status report as "over the election period, a lot of misinformation was circulated regarding the community centre. It's essential for the current City Council to consider all the factors and make an informed decision. 

Mallah adds she has had "numerous meetings with City staff over the past few weeks. Staff members have been forthcoming and eager to share information and answer questions regarding the plans, the history, and the design."

The motion seeks the following information prior to tendering the project:

• An overview of site selection discussions from the selection committee.
• The business plan associated with the project.
• The status of the design work.
• The status of the agreement between the City of North Bay and the federal government.
• The status of the Class A cost estimate.
• The proposed procurement process to be employed for this project.

Procurement is defined as the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. In development circles, procurement is an essential stage that works to reduce the bottom line by streamlining processes, reducing raw material prices and costs, and identifying better sources of supply.

During the municipal election campaign, there was a mix of support, opposition and new ideas from the candidates as a Sport North Bay survey question asked: "Do you support the current plans for the new Recreational Centre at Omischl?"

In recent years, Lowery has dabbled in municipal affairs beyond his role at Cassellholme. In 2018, he was heavily involved in a private proposal to redevelop a portion of the North Bay Mall property into a twin-pad arena with community amenities to not only replace the imminent loss of the ice surface at West Ferris Arena but add another ice pad to the mix.

"If you're going to be spending money on infrastructure, it has to do more than replace infrastructure, it has to do more for the community. That arena would have rejuvenated an entire community. It was going to become a hub, seniors could use it — it wasn't just an arena. It was going to have a larger impact. It's really about looking at the community as a whole and making those investments that are actually going to improve its position as opposed to just replacing it."

Prior to retiring from politics, in early 2021, then-Coun. George Maroosis, citing mounting economic pressures suggested, "Let's take a breath and reflect" on the Community and Recreation Centre.

And, this past autumn, while campaigning for a council seat, Lowery also floated plans for the potential redevelopment of the present Sam Jacks Complex grounds.

"I do not support the current plans. I feel that the development at Omischl should reflect the use of the existing fields," Lowery posted. "The building should have appropriate change rooms, washrooms, some storage, a tournament office for use of sports groups, a first aid area, and concession opportunities for groups to support critical events and tournaments.

"I have been working with some sports groups on a concept community centre for West Ferris at a site behind the current West Ferris Arena. It would host two ice pads — planning ahead for the decommissioning of Pete Palangio Arena — and would include seating for 300 spectators per pad with staging space for figure skating, a sports training and testing facility, community programming spaces for youth and seniors’ drop-in, a sports group office...Outdoor elements include a community splash pad, beach volleyball courts, plenty of parking — and the City could work with the school board to jointly develop fields adjacent to the school next door.

"The plan identifies that there is enough room to accommodate this development and the zoning is congruent. Vital to the concept is the price. The construction is a pre-engineered style building which (from estimates I have received — though not tendered) is approximately $30 million. This is far lower than the proposed development and it’s an investment in Ferris — long overdue."

Asked if this line of thinking will play into the discussions surrounding the motion, Lowery responds, "To my knowledge, there isn’t a defined plan for an alternative site or facility — it’s likely Council will raise this at the meeting."

Last spring, politicians and senior staff moved quickly to capitalize on the announcement from MP Anthony Rota of federal funding up to $25.77 million and approved the next steps in realizing the construction of the proposed community and recreation centre (CRC), including two new ice pads.

See also: Score! Feds give millions in funding for new Community Centre

Council also directed municipal staff to complete the building design to achieve the requirements for a "Net Zero Carbon" multi-purpose community and recreation centre in order to meet the requirements to receive the recently announced funding from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.

To accomplish that, Council also approved an additional $584,000 to the previously awarded contract to MJMA Ltd. to complete the necessary background studies, the Net Zero Carbon Building design, construction document preparation, and building certification for the CRC.

And: Cost of new community centre to be determined

Council also directed staff to go to tender upon completion of those design modifications. The redesigned plan will determine the updated cost of the project.

Council meets Tuesday for its regular meeting, immediately following the 6:30 p.m. committee meeting. The meetings are available via live stream and YouTube.