City council will receive an update on Tuesday, Feb. 9 on staff's direction in preparing a report on the event centre project.
Greater Sudbury mayor Brian Bigger directed staff to prepare a report that will look at three potential sites for an arena/events centre during a Jan. 20 meeting of council.
The request made by Bigger created some concern among a few members of council, especially Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan, who has been one of the most vocal supporters of the Kingsway Entertainment District.
"I don't recall the mayor saying that there would be a comparison in this report of any other locations," said Kirwan during the Jan. 20 meeting.
The mayor told Sudbury.com in a Jan. 13 interview that there was a great deal of confusion regarding the details of the Kingsway Entertainment District, both on the part of city councillors and members of the public.
Bigger also stated on record during that interview that the report he was requesting was specific to the KED, the agreements and commitments that are in place, and the full scope of the project, while noting that it wasn't about weighing the Kingsway location against the downtown or the Project Now proposal.
The update on the event centre report that will be brought before council on Feb. 9 is asking for up to $125,000 from the event centre project budget in order to acquire "sufficient, appropriate third party expertise".
The report also outlines the anticipated timing for the work, with the report to be brought to council in the second quarter of this year, on June 16 during a special city council meeting.
"In order to ensure that the described timeline can be achieved and that council has the benefit of professional insights into the current situation facing event centres across
North America, including the impact of the pandemic, staff are seeking approval to secure outside expertise to assist in this effort," said the report.
"At a minimum, this expertise will include Ron Bidulka of PWC (PricewaterhouseCoopers). Mr. Bidulka has confirmed his potential availability to carry out this work on the recommended timeline and the continuity and context he can bring to this initiative will be extremely beneficial."
The information report will contain a review and updates of the June 2017 site evaluation under the eight evaluation criteria that were considered and approved by council in March of 2017.
The criteria are as follows:
- Vision
- Complimentary Benefits
- Ease of Development
- Access
- Parking
- Cost
- Economic Impact
- City Building
Staff will be making additional considerations in the 2021 report, will the anticipation that there will be analysis conducted on the following:
- Assessment of Renovation of Sudbury Community Arena
- Assessment of Project Risk
- Relationship to Junction East and Junction West Projects
- Information on COVID-19 Implications
- Details of Project Expenditures to Date
Next Steps
In addition to calling on the expertise of Bidulka and PWC, staff are anticipating recruiting other experts based on need as the work on the report unfolds and will include "expertise in economic impact assessment and event centre architectural requirements".
Staff are requesting approval of up to $125,000 to secure this expertise as well as delegated authority for the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives Ian Wood to engage the best available consultants on a single-source basis.
Full report can be read here.
