THUNDER BAY -- Developer Robert Zanette has a short-term, $180,000 solution to the city's soccer space shortage: Confederation College's bubble.
Zanette made a depuation to city council on Monday, requesting the city commit the sum to purchasing indoor/multi-purpose turf for the facility.
His company is working toward an agreement to repurpose the college's bubble and Fitness Centre. Zanette estimates 800 soccer players could be accommodated. He also hopes to see tennis, indoor football and even cricket matches.
“We meet -- on so many fronts – the objectives of the recently completed FIT Together Master Plan. We paid good money for that plan. There are some good recommendations and directions in that plan," he said.
"This facility, 53,000 feet will go to the wrecking ball if somebody doesn’t step up and do something – and I think the key point of all this is, it’s at virtually no cost to the city.”
Zanette claimed to have a letter of support from Lakehead Express Soccer as he argued his plan was the only one ready to take the field this year.
He contrasted it with the $106,000 Soccer Northwest Ontario is requesting council add to its 2017 budget to plan a proposed $25-million soccer complex at Chapples Park.
"The soccer community, as we know, needs an indoor solution for 2017 and maybe 2018, maybe 2019. We don't know," he said.
"The final soccer solution could be -- probably is -- very expensive and it may take a little bit of time to get the money together. We know that's a challenge when there are other levels of goverannce that we're depending on for the money."
The soccer community has been in deep need of space since the sports dome collapsed in November, another project Zanette is engaged in.
"We are definitely out of the soccer business," he said of the dome. "We're repurposing the facility to another purpose but that will come forward as we go along."
Coun. Aldo Ruberto who had been a staunch proponent of the city granting planning money to Soccer Northwest, questioned how he could present grants for a private enterprise to his constituents.
"There's a lot of poeple out there saying, "OK, here's a private person who's running a business and that business is getting money... why is the city now subsidizing that particular orgainzation or group who is private and not open for all people in the city?"
Zanette responded his vision is a social enterprise model in which he as the operator would join with the college and other community partners.
"We are looking at a social enterprise model and I just can't answer tonight how we'd fit into the Municipal Act but it is a question that has come up and yes, we've considered that."
Red River Coun. Brian McKinnon saw paralells with Public Private Partnership models in which public investments are managed for private profit.
"I think this is opening the door, which may be long overdue," he said.
The matter has been referred to administration. A report is expected to return to council in May.
