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City arenas need $2.8M in urgent and pre-emptive work

Five of Greater Sudbury’s arenas require a total of $2.8 million in urgent and pre-emptive maintenance work, which city staff say is needed to prevent service level interruptions
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Garson Arena and Community Centre is one of five city arenas slated for urgent and pre-emptive maintenance work.

City administrators are urging city council to allow them to proceed with $2.8 million in urgent and pre-emptive maintenance work at five of the municipality's arenas.

“Deferred investment in building roofs, shells, and refrigeration plant equipment would result in service level interruptions,” city Leisure Services director Jeff Pafford wrote in a report to the community and emergency services committee of city council. 

“Given these components are critical to the operation of arena facilities, it is likely that any failure will result in a prolonged service level interruption displacing user groups.”

Although the city’s network of arenas can absorb some displaced hours, Pafford notes it would be impossible to accommodate all prime hours at alternative arenas without significantly impacting other users.

Proposed projects, intended to minimize service level interruptions, include: 

  • Cambrian Arena: $667,250 toward resolving roof issues
  • Carmichael Arena: $666,500 toward resolving roof and drainage issues
  • I.J. Coady Memorial Arena: $421,600 toward resolving roof issues, painting exterior sheet metal wall cladding and concrete block walls
  • Garson Community Centre and Arena: $933,700 toward resolving roof issues, painting exterior sheet metal cladding and extending heat stacks
  • Toe Blake Memorial Arena: $120,000 toward a new evaporative condenser 

Proceeding with these projects wouldn’t come at any additional impact to upcoming years’ tax levy, as $6.7 million has already been allocated to city arena projects between the 2022 and 2022 municipal budgets, of which only $75,884 has been spent to date.

The city’s elected officials put a pause on many arena expenses while the city has been drafting an updated Arena Renewal Strategy slated to help guide future capital investments. 

“We’re looking at pausing investing these large amounts of money in these older buildings with a view to review the whole thing, just as we are doing with our aquatics facilities,” Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh explained earlier this year.

Instead of proceeding with the full scope of arena work, Pafford has recommended this scaled-back version, consisting only of the most “urgent and pre-emptive maintenance work as recommended by third parties.”

It’s anticipated that additional work at these arenas will be discussed as part of the arena renewal strategy.

The arena investment proposal will be discussed by city council members during the community and emergency services committee, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Aug. 14. The meeting can be attended in-person at Tom Davies Square or live-streamed online by clicking here.

Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.



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