A different way to build new arenas?

The unicorn of Edmonton minor hockey is to find an early evening practice slot Monday to Friday for your team.

Edmonton has too many teams clamouring for practice ice and too few arenas to provide it. It’s next to impossible to rent extra ice at that time.

But a group of Edmonton hockey and business leaders led by Matt Bachewich, president of the non-profit group Active Communities Alberta, is working to raise funds to build a new Sports and Wellness Campus with four ice sheets in northwest Edmonton.

Bachewich’s group is in discussions with the cities of St. Albert and Edmonton, as well as the province, to build a new regional sportsplex.

It would also include two large gyms, meeting and office space, a fitness centre and a daycare.

It would be located where the Anthony Henday intersects with 137 Avenue.

The main reason to look twice at this plan is Bachewich’s assertion that it would provide excellent value for taxpayers.

He pegs the construction price at a reasonable $60 million to $65 million.

The non-profit would also operate the facility more efficiently than a city-operated facility, he says.

St. Albert badly needs a new rink, with its teams already buying 60 per cent of their ice time outside of the community, Bachewich says. City council there has earmarked $20 million for new ice, money which could go to this project.

The practice of a non-profit organization building and operating an arena is common in Calgary, Bachewich says, with 38 of the Calgary region’s 60 arenas run by not-for-profit groups. In Edmonton, he says, five rinks are private, five not-for-profit (most notably the Kinsmen twin arenas), but the city owns and operates the vast majority of arenas, 30 out of 40.

Based on its population, Edmonton will be short about eight rinks by 2020, Bachewich says, and that’s without any old rinks shutting down. The city plans to close six older rinks — Oliver, Crestwood, Westwood, Tipton, South Side and Coronation — though no firm closure dates have been set.

But Roger Jevne, the city’s director of recreation facility development, says the city is in a good spot when it comes to arenas.

In 2009, the city identified it needed nine more rinks. It has added seven, with four sheets of ice at Terwillegar, two at The Meadows and one at the Downtown Community Arena. Two more city rinks will open when the Lewis Estates Recreation Centre is built.

The six older arenas slated to close lack parking and proper change and shower facilities, Jevne says, but there’s no urgent need to shutter them.

One more new arena for public use will come when the University of Alberta builds twin arenas on its South Campus site.

As for the need for any other new arenas, Jevne says: “We don’t think there’s an immediate need if we get the Lewis Farms ones in place.”

Several groups are in negotiations with the city to partner on arena builds, and that includes Active Communities Alberta, Jevne says.

“We’re certainly open to partnerships.”

The piece of land Active Communities Alberta has its eye on already has a claim on it — a fullsized indoor soccer field might go there, Jevne says, so that will enter into this discussion.

What’s in it for the city to partner with these other groups? The key is if they can bring money and if their business model is economically viable, Jevne says,

“Arenas are one area we’ve historically done on our own, but if we’re not able to meet the needs of users, or the demands of users, who would like to practice even more, if (new partners) are able to help provide that inventory, all the better.”

Bachewich, an accountant who has been the director to the CEO at the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission and will be a controller at the Alberta Motor Association, has plenty of experience working within government.

He’ll need all that savvy to bring together this project. His group is seeking funding from three levels of government, never an easy task, but that’s what accountant David Dorward pulled off in raising funds to build the Go Centre for basketball and volleyball.

Anyone involved in minor hockey will tell you more ice is needed, especially if we’re going to keep down costs for teams and for new players.

If this partnership model can more cheaply get new arenas built and operated, that’s a win-win for taxpayers and minor hockey.