‘I can’t force them back to the table’
Mayor Nenshi says city is always open to more arena discussions with the Flames
The Council Notebook is a weekly look at tidbits from city hall.
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
The ball remains in the Flames’ court when it comes to new arena negotiations, says Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Nenshi told reporters earlier this week the Flames have not reached out since the October election.
In mid- September, Ken King, team president and CEO, said the team was no longer pursuing a Saddledome replacement after months of unproductive talks with city hall.
After that bombshell, funding details for a $555-million arena in Victoria Park were released from both sides, and the topic hijacked the early days of the municipal election.
On Monday evening, Nenshi said the city is still willing to negotiate with the Flames.
“I’m flexible, you know, we have people on the other side who said they’re done talking, they don’t want to talk anymore, so I can’t force them back to the table,” he said. “The city will remain at the table and we’ll wait for others to come and have a conversation.”
Nenshi’s remarks come after Ward 13 Coun. Diane ColleyUrquhart called the arena issue the “elephant in the room” at the new council’s first meeting on Oct. 30, and said it’s up to elected officials and city administration to find a way forward.
Colley-Urquhart suggested perhaps a third-party group, similar to the committee formed to explore an Olympic bid, is needed to move negotiations forward.
“I really think that we need to restart, but we need different people at the table,” she said. “I’m really looking for a business group, an organization that would be appointed by council, that would get this out of the mayor’s office, out from behind closed doors, and really have some people look at what is in the best interest of the city.”
Nenshi dubbed Colley- Urquhart’s words strange.
“That was a very strange thing for her to say because, of course, it hasn’t been in the mayor’s office,” he said.
HERITAGE DESIGNATIONS
Three well-known Calgary landmarks could be protected in perpetuity by city council on Monday. While officials have designated homes, parks, fire halls and schools as municipal heritage resources in recent years, two of Monday’s requests are a little different.
One comes from a 12-unit condo building on Memorial Drive known as Glenwood Manor, which received a provincial designation in 1997 and is considered a “symbolic reminder of the economic prosperity Calgary enjoyed during the late-1920s.”
All 12 unit owners have expressed written support for the municipal designation, which would legally protect the 89-year-old, three-storey building from future demolition or dramatic renovation.
Two popular Kensington buildings that house a Starbucks and the Kensington Pub are also proposed for designation as municipal historic resources.
Known as the Arnell Block and the Smith (Cozzubbo) Residence, the adjacent Edwardian brick structures were built in 1911, and their owner wants the buildings protected in perpetuity.
King Edward School, a pre-First Word War sandstone school completed in 1913 that sits atop a hill in south Calgary, could also be designated a municipal historic resource at Monday’s meeting.
17TH AVENUE WORK
After weeks of construction-related delays, the cold weather has brought a reprieve for drivers on 17th Avenue S.W.
It’s expected 17th Ave. will be fully open next week, and the city is celebrating the break in construction with a scavenger hunt on Nov. 25.