• The fi rst council meeting of the year hears three sites are being considered for the new event centre: Box Springs, Family Leisure Centre and Stampede and Exhibition grounds.
• The city announces its $10 million provincial grant application, estimates the cost at $90 million for a building with a maximum event capacity of 8,000.
• RMECC is given the additional task of recommending a location along with fi nding funds. It also applies for $30 million from the federal Building Canada Fund.
2008
• RMECC identifi es fi ve locations as possible sites: Box Springs, privately-owned land in Cypress County, Family Leisure Centre, Lansdowne Equity’s site and the Exhibition and Stampede grounds.
• RMECC narrows the fi ve candidate sites down to two - Box Springs and Lansdowne - and recommends the Lansdowne site in May.
• In July, head-to-head pitches are made at council by Box Springs and Lansdowne without any clear indication as to the city's involvement in the project.
suddenly the 4,006-seat capacity was eaten up by 3,500 to 3,800 season ticket holders.
In 2004, then-mayor Garth Vallely launched the idea in a State of the City address, saying that a new rink to seat 6,500 to 8,000 spectators and costing $30 million would be a second crown jewel for Medicine Hat.
The first such jewel was the Esplanade, then recently completed for a total of $42 million — the city’s share coming to $27 million, or about the original budget projection of the arts centre.
The threat of similar cost overruns stained the arena approval process for years to come, according to one alderman close to the project.
“Council was a little gun-shy,” said Jamie White, a former alderman who sat on steering committees and is now heading up a $10-million private fundraising campaign. “There was a lot of skepticism in the community about another large project ... There was apprehension against getting too carried away.”
However, committees got to work, studies were commissioned and estimates rose. The infamous “wrong button” vote in 2010 saw a $95-million proposal approved 5-4, then defeated 5-4, after Ald. John Hamill appealed to council that his vote had been misregistered.
Proponents of that deal said that seemingly high cost included a $20-million contingency fund — needed in Alberta’s volatile construction market.
The final contract, approved by council in June 2013, was for $61.4 million for construction, and $74.5 million in total, including seats, scoreboard and other fittings.
As a design-build project, the builder assumes responsibilities for overruns — cost certainty that made the project palatable, according to Graham Kelly.
The retired long-time alderman guided the project as head of the Public Services Committee for the final three years and said that despite the issue, wasn’t as complicated as it has been made out.
“We started with the assumption that we had to replace The Arena,” said Kelly shortly after the final go-ahead vote.
“Once that was agreed, it was a matter of developing consensus.”
Soon monthly updates to all of council were taking place, and two years later council voted 8-1 in favour.
As for location, the argument never really went away.
An early feasibility study recommended Maple Avenue, about two blocks from The Arena, as the best location, and in tune with downtown revitalization.
However, council rejected the idea after public outcry that such a spot would inherit parking and traffic problems of the current rink.
In 2008 another committee of high-profile residents favoured a private-public partnership with Lansdowne Equity Ventures to build on the southern edge of Medicine Hat.
Council rejected it however, in favour of a standing offer of 20 acres in the Box Springs Business Park, though hammering out the details of such a swap took more than four years.
Negotiations broke off in 2012 with council citing an impasse with the park’s owners.
The Lansdowne bid was resubmitted, the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede drew up a new proposal. Several aldermen gave a late push for a redevelopment of the North Flats, including changes to Athletic Park.
However, council restarted talks with the Box Springs group resulted in a deal in the autumn, and by the following summer, a design and construction deal was before council.
As far as financing is concerned, $62.24 million comes from reserve funding — mostly from the Community Capital Reserve that’s filled up by excessive gas and landsale profits.
An early contribution of $2.6 million from the Alberta government covered the cost of studies.
The $10 million is being sought in a fundraising campaign, with any shortfall covered by a per ticket charge of about $2 or less. ■
2009
• BSBG pitches a $107 million project while Lansdowne representatives are reserved about giving numbers without knowing the level of the city’s involvement.
• Lansdowne gives a rough fi gure of $75 to $80 million for the project based on a similar project it completed.
• The city site selection committee recommends Box Springs.
• In August, Box Springs is picked as the new location of the event centre.
• City staff presents council a review which estimates the cost at $108 million with annual operating costs of $4.1 million. During the same meeting, questions regarding whether the Tigers are prepared to be the event centre's major tenant are also raised by aldermen.
• The recession begins to effect the local economy, White, Regional Event Centre Committee (RECC) chair, says council can't decide on what the city will spend on a new arena until they hear back on federal and provincial grants but he expresses optimism for federal funding.
• RECC releases the capacity fi gures; 7,136 for hockey games, 8,000 for concerts. It is also announced completed design plans and cost estimate are expected within fi ve months.
• Medicine Hat MP LaVar Payne announces $200,000 of the federal Building Canada Fund will go to the city, but for parks and not the Regional Event Centre (REC). But he states once the plans are completed, it will help determine the fed's involvement in the REC.
• By July, the fi rst design is presented to aldermen and it's announced the facility will be run by a private operator.
• Later that month, the provincial government slammed the door on the possibility to access the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grant.
• The Phase 4 Feasibility Study is released in October stating the cost estimate to be just under $90 million plus a $4 million contingency fund.
• Ald. Jeremy Thompson takes the chair of RECC with the group recommending funding that would include getting $3 million in government grants, $30 million for the city's Community Capital Reserve and take a $62 million internal loan. A vote on the funding model is scheduled for January 2010.
our communities ❚ our region ❚ our people 23
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