Rink gets a revamp

CITY HALL

Posted By BOB BRUTON

Posted 23 days ago

Barrie's oldest arena will get redone, but the likelihood of a new outdoor rink this winter is small.

Or at least not one with artificial ice.

City councillors gave initial approval Monday to enter into contribution agreements with the federal and provincial governments to fund renovations at Eastview Arena. The cost is $1,966,000, and Barrie's equal share is $665,333.

The renovations include construction of new changing facilities and washrooms, benches, a meeting room, new electrical equipment and a new ice resurfacer.

It's being funded under the Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) and Ontario Recreation Program.

But any plans to build an outdoor artificial ice rink at Shear Park this winter have all but melted away.

"It's been a frustrating one," said Coun. Alex Nuttall, who proposed this location. "I feel pretty strongly about it and we didn't get it done."

Barrie missed the deadline for RInC funding, and has been unable to find alternatives.

"It's easy to blame staff, but a certain number of councillors have to take responsibility for it as well," Nuttall said. "There was a certain contingent of councillors who blocked it for three weeks running."

Patrick Brown, Barrie MP, says there are some other funding opportunities to the city for an outdoor artificial rink.

"It isn't too late," he said. "I had suggested federal development funding."

Capital costs for the outdoor rink would have been more than $2 million -- including a change room, washrooms, ice resurfacer and an equipment building. A Zamboni costs about $100,000 and annual operating costs were estimated at $100,000. It could have be built at Shear Park between the the tennis courts, which have lights, and the ball park.

Last spring, councillors were told about the tight timelines attached to a RInC application, but didn't react quickly enough. Despite a reminder from staff with two options on how to proceed on time, councillors missed the May 29 application deadline. Changed conditions for late applications also froze Barrie out of RInC funding.

Nuttall says his direct motion on June 15 to build the rink at Shear Park was to be immediately forwarded to a federal/provincial conference June 16-17 that looked at RInC funding requests. But the application wasn't sent.

A July 2 memo, however, shows council had plenty of warning to meet the deadline.

On May 13, all members of council were sent an e-mail indicating the timeline currently being followed to determine a location for an artificial ice rink would not permit an application to be submitted by the RInC program priority project deadline of May 29.

Councillors were told they could get back on track by dealing with the matter in general committee and council on May 25, or in general committee on May 25 and at a special council meeting on May 26, 27 or 28.

But a majority of councillors decided to submit Barrie's application after the May 29 deadline.

Because there were so many applications received by the deadline, however, none that arrived afterwards would be considered.

Barrie CAO Jon Babulic said that while the city missed the May 29 deadline, the rules changed for late applications because there were so many ones which met the deadline.

bbruton@thebarrieexaminer.com