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City advances review of SNO indoor turf concept

The city will continue studying a Soccer Northwest proposal for an indoor turf facility next to the Canada Games Complex, after initial work turned up increased costs but no red flags.

THUNDER BAY — A Soccer Northwest Ontario proposal for an indoor turf facility next to the Canada Games Complex remains on the table and will be studied further, following a city council vote Monday.

Council expressed determination to keep a cheaper design from SNO under consideration, despite staff suggesting its failure to meet usual city building guidelines could significantly increase energy costs and carbon emissions.

An initial review presented by staff Monday suggested the Soccer Northwest Ontario’s hangar-like proposal would cost between $24 and $26 million, while the organization said it remains confident it can be built for around $20 million.

Building the facility to city guidelines would cost closer to $30 million, staff found.

That up-front spending brings longer-term benefits, staff said, potentially reducing energy costs by up to 40 per cent and extending the building’s lifespan.

The higher cost estimates staff provided could derail the project, Soccer Northwest Ontario president Michael Veneziale has warned.

Coun. Mark Bentz agreed with that assessment Monday.

“That’s a concern of mine — that would kill the project, in my opinion, it jumping over $30 million again,” he said, asking what accounted for the higher costs. 

Construction services supervisor Kelvin Jankowski said city design guidelines include meeting the LEEED Gold sustainability standard, requiring more costly materials but significantly reducing energy costs, and considering aesthetic improvements like art work.

Council split the difference, directing staff to return with two separate cost estimates, one for the SNO design as proposed, and another for a modified design meeting city guidelines.

“I think people want an indoor facility with a roof on it, with some heat, and not all of the bells and whistles,” said Coun. Michael Zussino. “It doesn’t need to be fancy."

Coun. Trevor Giertuga agreed.

“I’d like to see a [design] that just meets the Ontario building code,” he said. “I’ve talked with user groups, and they’re not looking for a fancy, Taj Mahal-type building … I don’t think art work is part of what they’re looking for.”

Coun. Andrew Foulds cautioned against a race to simply find the lowest construction price tag.

“If we want to spend this very large amount of money with precious tax dollars, we want to do it well,” he said. “Coun. Bentz brought up, why do we want to build it to City of Thunder Bay standards? Well, because we want it to last … for the next 50 to 70 years.”

“The other piece of this is, we don’t want to just build a tin can [if] it costs us an extra $200,000 a year to heat.”

He pushed for administration to assess utilities costs for the two different designs in its report.

With some residents expressing opposition to the project Monday, city manager Norm Gale set the stage by saying a messy process that’s included several false starts and reversals has been driven democratically — and not by administration.

“I acknowledge there's a lot of frustration surrounding this project,” he said. “It’s been a long [and] winding process."

“But the process we’ve followed so far is directly as a result of directions of council. Council has made decisions over the years and has set administration off on various paths.”

Before the latest proposal, that included examining a soccer bubble, a design at Chapples Park that remains under consideration, and a call for private sector proposals, five of which continue to gather dust nearly two years later.

Councillors have expressed strong interest in the latest design, hoping it could finally provide a solution.

Council approved a contract of up to $170,000 with Stantec Architecture to study the concept, conducting an environmental assessment, a traffic study, a draft floor plan, and other work.

Even the pared-down design would cost millions more than estimated, staff found, citing inflation in the construction industry, pegged at 12.5 per cent last year by Statistics Canada, and some alleged flaws in its design work.

Staff concluded Soccer Northwest Ontario's 147-by-56.5 metre concept would need to be 10 per cent larger to accommodate planned amenities like 10 change rooms, a pro shop, concession, gathering area, meeting room, offices, accessible washrooms, a second floor mezzanine, and floor-level seating.

All three citizens who spoke on the proposal Monday asked why the city was not turning to the private sector for solutions, including the five already received through the city’s own expression of interest process, which the public has not yet seen.

“I don’t understand why those proposals have not been seriously considered … and I question if they have even been looked at,” Suzanne DeRusha told council.

In an interview, DeRusha said seeing the higher cost estimates for the facility motivated her to speak out.

She believes the city can’t shoulder the cost of the facility on its own, pointing to a previous promise by Soccer Northwest to help fundraise.

“I’d like to see them approach Soccer Northwest and ask them where their $1 million pledge is,” she said in an interview. “I’d like to see them look at the other five private sector proposals and see what they are.”

Soccer Northwest Ontario president Michael Veneziale says his organization remains committed to help finance the project, but it makes little sense to do so before it receives a green light.

“It’s very difficult to ask anyone for money when you don’t know what’s going to be happening,” he said. “If we’d done that seven years ago, we’d still be holding on to their money.”

Veneziale said he supports council’s decision to consider both the initial design and building to city guidelines.

Despite negative feedback from the public Monday, several councillors said the proposal has moved the city closer to a realistic solution.

“I’m happy it feels like we’re getting closer to something we can all agree on,” said Coun. Shelby Ch’ng. “The price tag last time was not palatable to many people… Soccer Northwest should be credited for keeping this project afloat, although there are many other user groups.”

While deputants had argued the city should focus on core needs like road repair, Ch’ng called investing in recreation opportunities equally crucial to the city’s future, saying it will help attract and retain young families.

“A lot of families have moved out of Thunder Bay, and in part because of opportunities for their children to practice and play indoor turf sports,” she said.

Coun. Rajni Agarwal questioned the suitability of the SNO site.

A phase one environmental assessment of the property next to the Canada Games Complex confirmed an incinerator was located nearby from around 1952 to 1972, but that fill had subsequently been brought in.

While staff said no “red flags” had been discovered, Agarwal called that conclusion less than reassuring.

She said any other work on the proposal, like a proposed $25,000 traffic study and creation of a floor plan, should be paused until the second phase of the environmental assessment, which will include testing soil samples, firmly rules out contamination.

“I support going forward, but I don’t support going forward with such a blind unknown here,” she said. “Let’s find out what phase two says, and then let’s go to the next step.”

“Any time there’s been a dumpsite … it’s an unknown.”

Staff offered their reassurance they would not proceed with the traffic study or other work if the EA raises significant issues.

After a unanimous vote Monday, staff will proceed with the phase two EA and other work, with a full report expected in May.

The Chapples design is still in play, with staff announcing they've resubmitted an application to the federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program ahead of a looming application deadline. The cost of that proposal is now estimated at $52 million, factoring in rising construction costs and a net zero emissions design, but a GICB grant could cover up to half of that, leaving the city to shoulder less than $26 million.



Ian Kaufman

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