LAURIE WEIR

The Town of Smiths Falls has received the Youth Arena Feasibility Study and endorsed it in principle, on Monday, March 10, directing staff to explore design and construction costs for a new facility. Council has also instructed staff to engage with regional partners for potential cost-sharing and to develop a financial strategy.

The study, prompted by aging infrastructure and increased demand for recreational spaces, explored four options, with the preferred approach being a new arena with a separate multi-sport fieldhouse—estimated to cost between $41.4 million and $49.6 million. Potential funding sources include provincial and federal grants, private sponsorships, and municipal partnerships.

Public consultations revealed strong community support for improved recreational facilities, reinforcing Smiths Falls’ role as a regional hub for sports and community programming. Further analysis on cost estimates and funding strategies will be conducted before final decisions are made.

The 180-page, $80,000 feasibility study includes the following options: a) a minor retrofit of the existing facility for $5 million to $6 million that would address the most pressing operating issues of the ice plant and pad; b) extensive renovations of $10.4 million to $12.5 million but this doesn’t address the outdated infrastructure or long-term growth or multi-use needs; c) a new arena with repurposed Youth Arena as a fieldhouse at $32.6 million to $39.2 million; d) a new arena with separate multi-sport fieldhouse at $41.4 million to $49.6 million, which is the preferred option.

Stephanie Clark, the town’s director of community services, presented the extensive report, which was supported by the consultants who were there to go over the details and answer subsequent questions posed by council.

Coun. Jennifer Miller, who chaired the meeting, said it was most extensive and thorough report she’s ever seen, thanking those involved for the time on it. 

Coun. Chris McGuire said he was excited to see the public engagement involved with the process. “It’s not often we see those kind of numbers,” he said.

But he was concerned about the competition with other fitness facilities in town. “We’ve got no business competing against other not-for-profit groups,” he said. “When we are looking at these big spends, it leads me to ask … why are we trying to compete with these other groups?”

The lifespan of a new building is 30 to 50 years. If spending $3-million, it does little for the structural problems that the Youth Arena has now, he said.

McGuire spoke to the community centre that was built in 2010, “the costs of which are much higher than I ever expected them to be. We’ve got seats in that facility that have never been sat in and we still owe millions of dollars … while the roof is starting to fail.”

He said the numbers were hard for him to endorse.

Coun. Steve Robinson supported the recommendation, depending on grant availability and fundraising opportunities, and buy-in from neighbouring communities. He said once they commit there is no turning back, “so we must make sure we get it right.”

Mayor Shawn Pankow said he was looking forward to the project, “but also dreading it. By far, it’s the biggest capital investment the town’s ever faced.”

He said he knows how dependent they will be on grant opportunities. The funding model is encouraging, he said, but it’s based on a lot of assumptions and uncertainties.

Clark said one of the things they will have to think about in the next five to seven years is the replacement of the ice plant in the community centre, at a cost of “upwards of $3 million that we need to start planning for,” she said, not to mention a plan for the roof.

This project could work to combine the ice plants into one unit for both arenas, Clark suggested. 

“When you are investing in recreational infrastructure, it’s a long-term commitment,” she said. 

Coun. Jay Brennan said he’s supportive of the recommendation saying that those in town who don’t own skates need to be paid attention to. He noted that the town paid one-third of the cost of the community centre in 2010, and one-third of this cost would be “palpable. This is a legacy project and I think the town deserves it.”

To the “Facebook warriors” out there, Coun. Peter McKenna encouraged them to read the report. “Council is not approving a $40-million project, so read the report.”

McKenna asked if there were any models where neighbouring communities jointly-owned a facility.

In Nova Scotia, the consultant said, there are five communities that own a new recreational facility – a twin-pad structure with a full YMCA.

Coun. Dawn Quinn said they need to engage with their neighbours more than they are currently, as “we cannot do this without their support.” And if at the last moment, she added, “we cannot afford this, we can walk away from it.”

Miller said she’d like to have a better idea about how many users are from neighbouring municipalities.

Clark said they will make an update to the way they track those numbers.

“There are mechanisms where we can get a better understanding (of those numbers) and we’ve made a commitment and a policy change internally to make sure that when we are looking at allocations (we know where they’re coming from). Some are coming from further abroad than I even anticipated.”

McGuire noted that he’d like to see schools —gymnasiums specifically— included in the scope as he doesn’t seem them utilized like they could be. He wants to know what hours they are available and if there are opportunities for partnerships between the school boards and the municipality to open the facilities for more usage.

“That takes away the need for the field house if we can make those facilities more accessible,” he said.