In a surprise move, the staff report recommending the location of a proposed new arena to replace the aging West Ferris Sam Jacks Arena, was withdrawn at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
“I didn’t feel 100 per cent that the site was correct,” said community services chair Johanne Brousseau.
The staff report recommended a new double ice pad community centre be located at the Omischel Sports Complex near Nipissing Junction..
“The numbers were based on studies from 2012. We know that the economy has changed. We know the population has changed since then. Are there still the same amount of people using the ice? Do we only need one pad? Or do we need two? And how big of a community centre do we require?” wondered Brousseau.
“We’re not starting again. I’m just revising numbers. I’m not going through the whole process. I didn’t feel right about those numbers, and maybe my gut feeling will be wrong, and the numbers will remain the same, but I need to go back and plug in those numbers that are current.”
The findings could have a big impact on the staff recommendation.
“The location could change depending on what the results tell me,” said Brousseau.
“There are three locations that could be back in discussion depending on if it is one pad that is required or two pads. We need to look at the big picture. Is it just about community recreation or about multiusage for that building, that will bring in revenue?”
The three locations include the staff recommended Omischl complex, North Bay Memorial Gardens and the existing West Ferris Arena site.
“Back to where it came from. That’s one option. Back on that same site. And we know that site is good. It will definitely be a new build because the money required to renovate is not logical compared with the cost of a new build,” said Brousseau.
“But that would only be if the study tells me we only need one pad. It would have a similar footprint.”
The proposed North Bay Mall location was never an option for Brousseau.
“It doesn’t have the 12 acres that we are looking for. It only has eight acres. So for me, the mall was never one of my sites to recommend,” said Brousseau.
“The last council had a recommendation for Omischl, but they never brought it forward. They never brought it to council. They never submitted anything. It just stayed at committee.”
The former chair of the Arena Committee, councillor Mark King, said the group looked at a new build on the West Ferris Arena site, but dismissed the idea.
“There is no question in my mind a single pad arena is not viable in the city. It doesn’t give the ability for the facility to operate properly,” said King.
“We looked at going back to the West Ferris location. The problem in that process is, first of all, the build is approximately 18 months to do. So, the question is, do you build the new arena next to the old arena? And if you do that, you will actually take up all of the parklands at the backside. If you tear down the West Ferris Arena, and tried to build the new pad on that site, you’re going to be without an arena for almost two years. Those were the issues that we dealt with at the committee level.”
King pointed out the committee went through a rigorous process looking at the Memorial Gardens site but ruled it out from a cost standpoint.
“Both with the need for a bridge over Chippewa Creek and also the condition of the soil on the back side of Memorial Gardens. That site does not make sense at all, and nor should it be looked at in the future,” said King.
“The committee agreed with the Omischl site, without question. From a public sector standpoint, that is the location, period. Unfortunately, through that process during the summer, we couldn’t get the staff together to talk about options as far as the North Bay Mall were concerned. And I still to this day, believe that is a very viable option that should be looked at. I know the indication tonight was there wasn’t enough property there. The old North Bay Chrysler building property is right next door, and that would alleviate any of the parking problems associated with the build.”
The follow-up report is expected to take up to two months to complete.
“It will give a definitive answer as to what kind of building that we want and how big of a community centre it will be. The committee will bring it forward to council for a vote,” said Brousseau.
It pushes back the start of the construction process which begins with the selection of the architectural and engineering firms to assist with the design, tendering and inspection during construction.
Until that is all done, the cost to build remains unknown.
