Sudbury needs more ice surfaces: city staff

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Countryside Arena is one of two sites being considered for an additional ice pad. The other site is on Lorraine Street, and would see the construction of a brand new, two pad facility. File photo.

Countryside Arena is one of two sites being considered for an additional ice pad. The other site is on Lorraine Street, and would see the construction of a brand new, two pad facility. File photo.

Apr 12, 2010- 11:03 AM

By: Bill Bradley - Sudbury Northern Life

The debate about ice pads will surface again at the next city council meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, April 14.

The debate centres around whether the city should build a new ice pad at Countryside Arena, or build a new, two rink facility at city property on Lorraine Street in New Sudbury. Countryside Arena was originally designed to hold two ice surfaces, but the Lorraine Street facility would be brand new.

City staff are seeking direction from city council, as each option carries different price tags. Adding one ice pad at Countryside would cost an estimated $10.9 million, while building a new, two ice pad facility at Lorraine Street would cost an estimated $22.6 million.

They have currently prepared a resolution that would allow for construction of a second ice pad to begin at Countryside Arena on May 1, 2010, and a strategy for a new multi-pad facility in the future.

Ice time in the city is a big concern, especially as the city's aging arenas are down one this year after the closing of Cambrian Arena. The arena was closed due to safety concerns, and the city voted against adding funding for the expensive repairs to the 2010 city budget back in November.

Due to this closure, the demand on current ice surfaces in the city, and a report on the issue dated Nov. 4, city council passed a resolution to investigate the options of a second ice surface. These demands were identified in the recent Parks Open Spaces and Leisure Master Plan.
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16 Comments

  • Phillip Morris 4/13/2010 4:47:32 PM - Report Abuse

    The solution is the Public Private Partnership. Something this city dreads even mentioning. Other cities in Ontario have corporate partners and sponsors. But Sudbury is still stuck in the 1950's.

    This city has wasted millions and squandered prime opportunities to get our arenas up to snuff.
    First off, Countryside already has the cooling equipment in place. It was purchased and installed with the preperation of the building. A second pad is very cheap to put in there. Secondly, the Sudbury Arena had its revamp 7-9 years ago. The plan was put in to have a pad put in the north parking lot. So it also has ice making equipment IN PLACE for a twin rink.
    Barrydowne Arena needs less than $500,000 to re-equip it with an ice plant and upgrades. Cambrian is less than $2 million to fix and upgrade it.
    Don't forget Falconbridge was fixed with private money from Paul Lizotte fuels and was going to be run as a non-profit rink for Sudbury Minor Hockey. It was scuttled at the last moment by city union workers stating they had to be employed there.
    Every year the province hands over millions to the city in its annual sports improvement fund. Earmarked for the upgrades and running of facilities. - Where is THAT cash?
    Instead we're putting $2.5 million on astro turf? $6 million on an amphitheatre?
    There is little reason why we've been laughed at when submitting Hockeyville entries.

  • JBender 4/13/2010 11:43:25 AM - Report Abuse

    Post by SNS.Why would you think I don't have any children just because I am against any major expenditures by this current council?The Cambrian Arena could have been retrofitted for two million dollars and remedy the supposed one ice pad short problem.

    Year round ice time?Are you whacked in the head SNS?Do you know what that would cost to have ice year round?And no,I don't think we need a 10 million dollar art gallery to appease 1% of the population.You talk like things like this come for free.

    Why is a 22 million(estimated) dollar double ice pad being continually brought to the surface over and over again when it was voted down?Are we going to keep having votes until this is finally shoved down everyones throats and see our property taxes rise even more?Repair what we have and be happy with it.

  • Don S. 4/13/2010 10:13:21 AM - Report Abuse

    Arenas in the city of Sudbury is one of the most corrupt things going in this town. Do you really think that the Cambrian arena "needed" to be closed up? It was closed to the mayor and his boys could pressure the rest of council into supporting his plan for his legacy project. The city has more than enough ice surfaces it just keeps closing them for no good reason.

  • MikeK 4/13/2010 9:03:59 AM - Report Abuse

    Spending money for something a small percentage of the population will use is a poor arguement... what if your street had massive potholes (a very likely possibility in Sudbury) and the city said "nah, not gonna fix it because not a lot of people use that street." For everything taxpayers dollars go into that you DO use, there are a lot of other people who don't, thats just the way it goes.

    That said, I still think the city council members are about as smart as a bag of hammers when it comes to spending taxpayer money. They reject repairing an arena, and 4 months later consider building a new one for 10 times as much? Is this stupidity why my property taxes went up 50% over 4 years?

  • MAXIMVS 4/13/2010 1:13:51 AM - Report Abuse

    Sudbury needs alot things....top of the list is getting rid of mayor and some council just to name a few.

  • my2pennies_1 4/13/2010 12:55:37 AM - Report Abuse

    If the arenas are full then let those people foot the bill. Why should I have to pay for something i or my kids will never use.

  • SNS 4/12/2010 11:34:00 PM - Report Abuse

    Jbender all this coming from someone who probably has no kids. Have you ever been to an arena all winter? They are packed, it wouldn't hurt to have more facilities for the kids and adults to have ice time year around. So let me guess your against the improvements to the field on paris street too. I've never used that field in my life but i think it's a great idea. Anything to help the kids enjoy sports and keep them busy. At least they are "thinking" about putting the money into something the whole community can use and not another useless art center.

  • JBender 4/12/2010 9:10:19 PM - Report Abuse

    Watch the "national sport" on television Big Ern and leave the majority of taxpayers out of it.

    That way it will be much easier on everyones wallet.Better yet Big Ern why don't you and all the other hockey fanatics like Tomcat pay to build your own arena.Problem solved.

    This should be included in a referendum in the next election.I don't think that things like higher taxation to pay for all this is very high on very many peoples lists.

  • Harry 4/12/2010 7:27:30 PM - Report Abuse

    Sure, let's spend up to 22 million dollars to keep five per cent of the population happy. What are these guys thinking?

  • Big Ern_1 4/12/2010 6:27:56 PM - Report Abuse

    Sorry JBender I guess living in Sudbury we should just be happy we can go Huntin and Fishin and riding the quad.Some of us do enjoy our national sport

  • Tomcat 4/12/2010 5:52:34 PM - Report Abuse

    Two million $ to put a band-aid on the problem isn't the solution JBender. All of our infrastructure is falling apart for that very reason.

  • JBender 4/12/2010 5:39:21 PM - Report Abuse

    Awwwwww,poor Tomcat has to travel an hour to use an arena.Better that than saddling the ratepayers with a 22 million dollar debt and giving old Rodriguez his "legacy project".

    We have enough arenas and like I said spend the two million to fix Cambrian Arena and forget the big expensive dreams.One more thing Tomcat,if hockey is expensive and time consuming to travel try a sport that doesn't cost so much and don't expect taxpayers to care.

  • Tomcat 4/12/2010 5:26:13 PM - Report Abuse

    The three of you all need to give your heads a shake. Look what's happened to our roads because of lack of spending, the same thing is happening to our arenas. They are getting old and out of date and we've lost two, so now our kids are traveling an hour out of town to get ice-time.

  • northside 4/12/2010 2:52:46 PM - Report Abuse

    Yes JBender, I think they are total idiots, Taxes will go up again, never mind about the HST, this council must think our pockets have no bottoms. Staff needs to be given a shake to wake them up. Let them make do with what they have, thats what we have to do............

  • JBender 4/12/2010 12:30:52 PM - Report Abuse

    This council is thinking of spending upwards of 22 million for new ice pads when the Cambrain Arena could have been totally repaired for 2 million.Are these people total idiots?

  • Seamus 4/12/2010 11:55:33 AM - Report Abuse

    "Sudbury needs more ice surfaces: city staff"
    Great idea. How to pay for the 10.9+ or 22.6+ million dollars? I would suggest we get rid of enough of these useless city staff goofs to make up cost.
    Start with the "Sunshine List" and work down from there until the total expenditure plus the usual over-runs are covered.
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