May 30, 2006

Recreational

Kingston’s design-build arena woes

A sports and entertainment centre faces several hurdles

ANNETTE PHILLIPS

correspondent

KINGSTON

Kingston city council decides tonight on the fate of a controversial downtown sports and entertainment centre and the award of a $37.5 million design-build contract.

The design-build teams of Ellis Don Construction with Brisbin Brook Beynon architects and PCL Construction in partnership with Parkin Architects and Rossetti Associates were short-listed by the city late last week.

CITY OF KINGSTON

The design proposed by PCL Constructors in partnership with Parkin Architects and Associates.

Kingston’s plan is to build a 5,000-seat arena, expandable to 6,000 seats spread across a city block in the downtown core.

Giffels Partnership Solutions, along with sister company Norr Architects, were among the four pre-qualified bidders for the Kingston Sports and Entertainment Centre. Ball Construction and PBK architects were the fourth team to submit a proposal.

Kingston has already awarded the operations contract for the new facility to Olympia and York/SMG in a competition that ousted both Global Spectrum, operators of London’s John Labatt Centre, and Capital Sports, the facilities arm of the Ottawa Senators NHL hockey team.

The design proposed by EllisDon Construction in partnership with Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment also indicated an early interest in the Kingston arena, but the Leafs said they were sidetracked by a number of Toronto-based projects before the proposal call was issued and did not submit a proposal.

O &Y/SMG will be paid an annual management fee of $212,000 to book events and run the new sports and entertainment centre.

Attention now turns to the fate of the project itself. Kingston was counting on $8 million in senior government grants to help finance the new facility.

The province has hinted strongly at an investment, but has not made a firm commitment, and council has vowed not to hike taxes to cover the cost.

The city’s business plan relies heavily on operating revenues to cover a share of the capital costs.

Tonight’s council agenda includes a make or break vote on a revised financing plan and with the final vote looming, some councillors say they will vote against the sports and entertainment centre if full senior government funding cannot be secured.

“I don’t support it if it means a tax increase,” said Councillor George Beavis.

Beavis cited other ongoing municipal projects where the city has been hit with cost overruns in the millions of dollars and where community fundraising campaigns on city projects have failed to meet revenue targets and says he is concerned about the addition of a $37.5 million entertainment centre to the city budget.

Beavis, along with a number of community groups, also opposes the sports and entertainment centre’s downtown location.

Traffic congestion, already a problem in Kingston’s historic core, will only get worse with a large entertainment centre thrown into the mix, Beavis said.

“If they were building it anyplace but downtown ... I really have some concerns,” Beavis said.

Mayor Harvey Rosen has battled strong opposition to the facility from both council and the public since he put a planning process for the new sports and entertainment complex in place in January, 2004.

On one hand, Rosen is under pressure from the business and tourism sectors to build a marquee entertainment centre to attract visitors and stimulate downtown development.

And owners of the city’s Major Junior A hockey club, Kingston Frontenacs, are threatening to take the team elsewhere if the city doesn’t replace its antiquated Memorial Centre.

On the other hand, the mayor is besieged by opponents who object to the cost and the location of the new facility.

Public discussion is important, but Kingston’s long history of allowing a handful of citizens to stall major projects is unlikely to continue on a vital quality of life project like the sports and entertainment centre, Rosen said.

He added he is certain a majority of council will approve the project.

“I don’t think [opponents] are going to prevail because they don’t deserve to prevail in this specific instance,” the mayor told Daily Commercial News.

“I’m confident we’ll be seeing a shovel in the ground in July.”

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