keoadmin
02-16-2004, 10:38 PM
Kingston Electors – Memorial Centre Redevelopment - Editorial
February 2004
Citizens of Kingston can be forgiven for being confused about the City’s plans for building ice arenas and how these plans influence development of the Memorial Centre. Two studies have overlapped: The Arena Capacity and Expansion Study, begun last summer, examined arena usage (including the Memorial Centre) and costs of operating and maintaining the existing City's facilities. This report was presented to Council on February 3. The study recommends closing three indoor rinks due to high maintenance costs and outdated facilities – the Memorial Centre (York Street), Cook Brothers Youth Centre (Montreal Street) and Harold Harvey (Portsmouth). This study’s proposal is to replace these three arenas with one triple-pad facility on a 25-acre property with room to add a fourth pad in the future.
During the municipal election, one of Harvey Rosen’s platform issues was to build a new Large Venue Entertainment Centre / ice arena to replace the Memorial Centre. Upon his election, Mayor Rosen established the Memorial Centre Task Force. This Task Force, chaired by Leonore Foster, has a 100-day mandate (ending at the end of March) to submit its proposals to the Mayor.
So far, the Task Force has discussed the replacement of the Memorial Centre with a 5000-seat facility with floor space for an additional 1000 for entertainment events. The Task Force is in the process of identifying a potential location, but it seems the existing site is not being considered and downtown sites are being mentioned. No cost estimates have been put forward, but $35 million has been mentioned. The hope of the Task Force is not to raise the municipal tax base for this facility
Without going into the issue of closing neighbourhood rink facilities in Kingston’s older (and poorer) neighbourhoods, the Memorial Centre Task Force will now have to decide how a Large Venue Entertainment Centre fits into the Arena Capacity and Expansion Study. More than half of the paid events at the existing Memorial Centre are from seat sales for hockey games. The junior hockey league brings in the majority of money for the Centre.
Cities need to invest in recreational and cultural facilities, but citizens may well ask if there is sufficient funding for all the projects being proposed. As a start, the M-C Task Force and the Arena Study should co-ordinate their work, as the two projects are tied to one another, even if that was not the original intention.
So far, the media has only shown positive responses from citizens and politicians to the Memorial Centre replacement. As citizens, we need to get the facts: How many events with paying customers for the 5000-seat facility will potentially be booked? Where will this facility be located? How will it be financed? Most importantly, is this facility a higher priority than other much-needed services in Kingston?
February 2004
Citizens of Kingston can be forgiven for being confused about the City’s plans for building ice arenas and how these plans influence development of the Memorial Centre. Two studies have overlapped: The Arena Capacity and Expansion Study, begun last summer, examined arena usage (including the Memorial Centre) and costs of operating and maintaining the existing City's facilities. This report was presented to Council on February 3. The study recommends closing three indoor rinks due to high maintenance costs and outdated facilities – the Memorial Centre (York Street), Cook Brothers Youth Centre (Montreal Street) and Harold Harvey (Portsmouth). This study’s proposal is to replace these three arenas with one triple-pad facility on a 25-acre property with room to add a fourth pad in the future.
During the municipal election, one of Harvey Rosen’s platform issues was to build a new Large Venue Entertainment Centre / ice arena to replace the Memorial Centre. Upon his election, Mayor Rosen established the Memorial Centre Task Force. This Task Force, chaired by Leonore Foster, has a 100-day mandate (ending at the end of March) to submit its proposals to the Mayor.
So far, the Task Force has discussed the replacement of the Memorial Centre with a 5000-seat facility with floor space for an additional 1000 for entertainment events. The Task Force is in the process of identifying a potential location, but it seems the existing site is not being considered and downtown sites are being mentioned. No cost estimates have been put forward, but $35 million has been mentioned. The hope of the Task Force is not to raise the municipal tax base for this facility
Without going into the issue of closing neighbourhood rink facilities in Kingston’s older (and poorer) neighbourhoods, the Memorial Centre Task Force will now have to decide how a Large Venue Entertainment Centre fits into the Arena Capacity and Expansion Study. More than half of the paid events at the existing Memorial Centre are from seat sales for hockey games. The junior hockey league brings in the majority of money for the Centre.
Cities need to invest in recreational and cultural facilities, but citizens may well ask if there is sufficient funding for all the projects being proposed. As a start, the M-C Task Force and the Arena Study should co-ordinate their work, as the two projects are tied to one another, even if that was not the original intention.
So far, the media has only shown positive responses from citizens and politicians to the Memorial Centre replacement. As citizens, we need to get the facts: How many events with paying customers for the 5000-seat facility will potentially be booked? Where will this facility be located? How will it be financed? Most importantly, is this facility a higher priority than other much-needed services in Kingston?