Letter: City should look into repurposing Arena rather than demolishing it

By Letter to the Editor on January 25, 2023.

Dear editor,

I liked the recent Ticked Off & Tickled Pink submission, regarding an ideal location for a 4,500-seat arena/curling rink complex downtown. However, rather than demolish the old Arena and then reconstruct it, let’s consider renovating and repurposing it. As I recall, taxpayers were originally told that the then-new arena would, by design, accommodate potential future expansions.

Moose Jaw’s Mosaic Place is an ideal example of an envisioned multipurpose arena complex, located downtown, seats 4,500 and includes eight curling ice sheets. Total cost was $61 million in 2011, but the city’s cost was only $34.5 million after grants and other funding. (As opposed to our city’s $75 million total expenditure). Moose Jaw’s cost also included a nearby fieldhouse.

I find it very disappointing that we continue to financially support Co-op Place, ignoring all the bad decisions associated with replacing the old arena. These decisions, by previous councils, continue to cost taxpayers.

In my view, the location of Co-op Place, in particular, offers very little hope of it ever becoming a popular and financially viable “go-to” events centre for many city residents. It is time to drop the “Field of Dreams” event centre vision: “If they build it, they will come.”

Let’s seriously consider also repurposing Co-op Place, and relocate it downtown. My only suggestion is to consider turning Co-op Place into a major “go-to” truck stop and electric vehicle recharging hub, (taking advantage of the nearby Highway 1 location; existing events centre facilities; and, our abundance of electricity, that might ultimately turn this facility into a profitable asset. Many others likely have good ideas aimed at eliminating the ongoing financial tax burden, that should be explored.

Let’s correct some previous mistakes and relocate the events centre downtown, either through reconstruction or repurposing.

Gordon Briosi

Medicine Hat

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