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Synergy Centre, art gallery and library urged to join forces

Will consider Sudbury Arena, Rainbow Mall as possible locations
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Meeting on Wednesday, city councillors urged proponents behind a new downtown art gallery, library and events centre consider joining forces to make each project more viable. (File)

Better together?

Meeting on Wednesday, city councillors urged proponents behind a new downtown art gallery, library and events centre to consider joining forces to make each project more viable.

After hearing a presentation on the Place des arts, which is farther advanced than the other projects and has much of its funding in place, they turned their attention to the other three projects.

The library and art gallery originally were separate projects, but are now working together. The Synergy Centre, meanwhile, was tied to the arena, which is now going on The Kingsway.

That creates a opportunity for the three remaining projects to work together, said Mayor Brian Bigger.

“There is quite strong support here for the downtown, and for the Synergy Centre concept,” Bigger said. 

The possibility of combining facilities is encouraging.

“There may be a natural fit,” he said.

Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo agreed.

“There can be a shared use of each facility if they are co-located, or if they are close enough to be connected with a pedway,” Jakubo said. “It so easy to go place to place.”

Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh said she was in a mall in the Maritimes that housed the city's art gallery and library. The Rainbow Mall could be a site for all three projects, she said.

“There is the potential of going into the mall,” McIntosh said. 
“We need to look at the interconnectivty of all the things going on downtown ... In Calgary, everything is connected by pedways.”

Ward 12 Coun. Jocelyne Landry-Altmann also wanted to ensure they consider repurposing the existing Sudbury Arena.

"Will that also be included in this?” she asked.

“The short answer is yes,” said Ian Wood, the city's director of economic development.

Josee Forest-Niesing, chair of art gallery board, said they have a standing offer from the McMichael family for a Group of Seven collection of paintings whenever a new gallery is ready.

“The family is being courted by other cities interested in that collection,” she said. “That collection is at risk every year.”

Meredith Armstrong, the city's manager of tourism, said they will be considering partnering with the centre.

“Yes, there are some exciting opportunities as a shared facility,” she said. “In due time, we would consider sites that make sense – the arena, the Rainbow centre are on the list.”

John Caruso, chair of the Synergy Centre steering committee, said joining forces with other groups is something they have always supported.

"We've always said, and the experience across North America, when you group things in close proximity to each other, or under the same roof, you create a destination site, you create more foot traffic," he said. 

"If someone from Ottawa is at a conference, and right across is the McMichael Art Gallery, they're likely to go visit the art gallery. So it's makes good, I think, strategic sense and economic sense that these things be close together.”


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