Ward 11 Coun. Lynne Reynolds is making the unusual move of calling for an arena in her ward to be closed.
Reynolds, a strong supporter of building a new arena/events centre on land on The Kingsway, is calling for another ice pad to be added in the new building, and for Carmichael Arena to be converted into a community centre.
“As councillor for Ward 11, I would gladly champion the relocation of the current Carmichael Arena to The Kingsway in a brand-spanking-new arena just minutes away and re-purposing the current arena on Bancroft into a year-round sports facility, adjacent to our skateboard park, baseball fields and tennis courts,” she wrote in a column for sudbury.com. “I like hubs. I am not a fan of inefficient, expensive and inconvenient stand-alone facilities, scattered all over our large city. And I like to see our facilities used year-round, not just for a few months.”
Reynolds said several groups in the city are looking for a home, including the Sudbury District Soccer Club, the Sudbury Indoor Football League, Slopitch National, the Sudbury Sport and Social Club, Futsal Canada and Sudbury Handball.
“The current Carmichael Arena could accommodate one or several of these teams,”she wrote. “The Kingsway location could also be designed to bolt on additional ice pads to the centre in the future.”
The location of the proposed $80 million to $100 million centre has been the subject of furious behind-the-scenes lobbying, with different groups pushing for The Kingsway, and others for downtown.
A group has been set up to evaluate the best site, which will be revealed at a June 27 special city council meeting. According to criteria established by council in April, the most important factors when it comes to location is cost, economic benefit and parking. Other factors include complimentary benefits, access and ease of development.
“I am passionate about our downtown,” Reynolds said. “But building an event centre there is not the answer to the downtown’s revitalization and, in my opinion, is not the right location if we want to build an extensive sports entertainment and tourism industry ... There is not enough space, enough convenient parking and at this time, there is no room to grow, not even to locate a second pad. Parking structures are very expensive -- $35 million – and we would need a few of them.
It’s simply too much to ask of our taxpayers.
“No amount of buttons, posters or lawn signs will convince me that the parking lot across from the current arena is the right location. We are not replacing a community arena. We are building a whole new complex – a whole new industry.”
Reynolds said The Kingsway development is more than just an arena. Twinned with a new casino and motosports park, she argues it will become a significant tourist attraction.
“The event/entertainment centre on The Kingsway will by itself attract 30-plus international-level concerts in conjunction with the casino,” she said. “By comparison, last year, our current arena downtown hosted nine modest concerts.”
The construction project will create about 2,700 jobs, both construction and casino, she said, and will result in millions in new taxes, and with more revenues from the city's share of casino profits, she said the centre won't be a financial burden.
“For years now, our tourism department has been chasing that elusive ‘second night’ for visitors to our city,” Reynolds said. “This development will certainly encourage our retail and entertainment tourists to spend that one more night in our city, shopping, taking in sporting and concert events or visiting the casino, effectively doubling our tourism numbers.
“I am passionate about our downtown. But building an event centre there is not the answer to the downtown’s revitalization and, in my opinion, is not the right location if we want to build an extensive sports entertainment and tourism industry. It will simply not generate the excitement, the growth and the benefits our city needs. There is not enough space, enough convenient parking and at this time, there is no room to grow, not even to locate a second pad. Parking structures are very expensive - $35 million – and we would need a few of them. It’s simply too much to ask of our taxpayers.”
“No amount of buttons, posters or lawn signs will convince me that the parking lot across from the current arena is the right location. We are not replacing a community arena. We are building a whole new complex – a whole new industry.
