The city is hoping that by this summer, a proposed events centre will be a matter of money.
Starting this month, the second phase feasibility study will begin on Innova Park, the downtown north core and airport sites for the facility.
CEI Architecture’s Conrad Boychuk specializes in medium-sized spectator facility and is project leader on the study. Boychuk, originally from Thunder Bay, has worked on similar projects across Canada and the United States.
While he remembers good times at the Fort William Gardens, he added that it’s time for a new facility.
“The time is right in fact probably the time is overdue in terms of getting a spectator facility,” Boychuk said Friday afternoon.
While hockey is a cornerstone of any centre in Canada, a facility needs to have broad uses to appeal to as many people as possible in a community.
As for location, Boycuk said the three selected sites are all good examples of suburban or urban designs, both of which he’s worked on.
“I don’t think that there’s any site that is being considered right now that cannot comfortably accommodate a spectator facility,” he said.
All of the sites have pros and cons. While the north core could bring more economic activity along with an events centre, Boychuk said it doesn’t happen overnight.
“It’s not instantaneous by any means. These kinds of growths and redevelopments occur slowly but they do occur.”
Boychuk said he’s well aware that location has been a controversial issue in Thunder Bay and parking and accessibility have been top priorities for citizens. But a green field site like Innova Park won’t be entirely positive on that front.
“You might think being adjacent to a highway is nothing but positive but there are issues with that as well.”
Along with a complete parking and accessibly study of the three locations, along with environment and engineering, the $125,000 study will also look at finances.
Pricewaterhouse Cooper’s Ron Bidulka will look at where the money will come from to operate the building and how much it will cost. From ticket sales to insurance costs, Bidulka said quantifying the building’s costs are key. Based on his experience with other arenas in the country, a building could break even to making $500,000 a year.
“From that develop a business plan that says this is how much money the building can make. This is how you can finance it,” he said.
Bidulka was also part of a team a couple of years ago that looked into the feasibility of an AHL or OHL team coming to Thunder Bay. He said based on other similar markets with those teams, the city could definitely float a hockey team of that caliber.
City manager Tim Commisso said if everything goes according to plan, a report will come to city council in May. An open house will be held Wednesday, Feb. 29 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Italian Cultural Centre.
