After a few months out of the limelight, an addendum to Tuesday's regular meeting of North Bay City Council saw a controversial, pending municipal project resurface with a recommendation from CAO John Severino to refer a preliminary report on a new arena to a special committee meeting.
Wednesday, Dec. 20 has been chosen for that meeting which Severino says will include a presentation from capital project consulting firm Colliers Project Leaders.
In September, the Community and Recreation Centre Ad Hoc Committee recommended — and the council soon after approved — investigating the feasibility of a new project with a $52 million upset limit that will include the minimal possible functional programming, according to a report from Severino.
See related: Council sets in motion new arena project with $52M upset limit
Colliers initiated a "market sounding to inform the council recommendation to prepare and issue a request for an expression of Interest for construction of a new Community and Recreation Centre to be located adjacent to the Omischl Sports Complex."
That contracted work has been completed. A more detailed report is being prepared by Colliers to present its findings in time for the council to review them before the special committee meeting on Dec. 20.
See also: Cheaper arena project recommendation on council agenda
And: Arena saga continues: Committee recommends creating committee
In mid-August, elected officials held a special meeting of council and formed the ad hoc arena committee. Councillor Lana Mitchell, also the chair of council's infrastructure and operations committee headed the newly-formed committee. Its other members were Councillors Mac Bain, Gary Gardiner, Jamie Lowery and Chris Mayne. Mayor Peter Chirico was an ex-officio member of the committee.
In late August, Chirico told BayToday the discarded arena proposal was "unaffordable for our community at that price."
A draft of estimated space and program requirements for a cheaper, simpler build can be found here. Among the highest-priority amenities are two ice pads with seating for 250 spectators each; 12 change rooms with a capacity of 25 people; a barrier-free room for referees to hold eight; and, a parking lot with room for 223 vehicles, 10 accessible parking spaces and a drop-off area for transit.
Both Chirico and Mitchell previously spoke about the project and the ad hoc committee in this video.
The tender for the previous proposal was withdrawn. The cost was a sticking point for many when it came to the City of North Bay's proposed twin-pad arena and community centre designed to be constructed at the Steve Omischl Sports Complex on Lakeshore Drive.
The revealing of the bids in mid-June ended any hope of keeping construction costs near the estimate of approximately $44 million as three contractors submitted tenders ranging from $70.8 million to $82.3 million. Add another $8 million in design and ancillary costs to the low bid and it had ballooned to an $80-million project.
Council members unanimously recommended forming a separate committee to decide the direction of the twin-pad arena and community centre proposal. Find below the terms of reference for the Ad Hoc Community and Recreation Centre Committee.
Mandate:
- Identifying an affordable project upset limit
- Confirming the location of the new community centre
- Reviewing the options to deliver the project as outlined in Report to Council No. IO-2023-16 dated August 1
The committee shall provide a report to the Infrastructure and Operations Committee no later than September 19 regarding the project upset limit; the recreational and community needs that must be addressed by the facility; and, the location of the facility in a way that balances fiscal responsibility and recreational and community needs.
The guiding principles of the committee shall be:
- Build a healthy and active community
- Provide inclusive and accessible recreational opportunities
- Multi-use and multi-generational
- Modern and responsive to community needs
- Support sport tourism initiatives
- Foster and support partnerships
- Financially responsible
- Strategic approaches for the long-term
