HOCKEY EDMONTON

Group offers to save arenas

Hockey Edmonton is offering to step in and save two city arenas on the chopping block as the city looks to trim its spending next year.

Proposed closures of three pools, two arenas and the city's asphalt plant are part of an effort to achieve a property tax freeze next year, the first since 1997.

If council approves the closures, the city would save $1.4 million in annual operating funding and $26.6 million in future renewal costs. Scona, Oliver and Eastglen pools as well as Oliver and Tipton arenas, all within the city's core, have been recommended for closure.

At Thursday's public hearing on the proposed 2021 budgets, Hockey Edmonton general manager Steve Hogle said arenas are often at capacity and now is not the time to lose any.

Although plans are preliminary, Hogle said it is possible for Hockey Edmonton to take over operations and all associated costs of the two arenas as they await new rinks — such as two sheets planned for the proposed Lewis Farms Recreation Centre, which has been put on hold.

“Those arenas have to stay open. Both us and other ice users are at capacity with our programming and we just don't see closure as an option,” he said Thursday. “We need to get creative in terms of how we can operate and how we can cover that operating loss so there's no cost to the taxpayer while we can give kids and adults a place to play.”

A couple more dollars for booking a sheet of ice or getting up earlier for an off-peak skate time would be worth it to keep the arenas open for recreational use, Hogle said.

Hockey Edmonton would work with leagues and other user groups to figure out an operational plan.

In a typical year, Hockey Edmonton has about 600 teams and 9,000 players.

Community recreation advocates are also calling on councillors to save the three pools until new cost-effective amenities can be built.

Queen Alexandra Community League president Julie Kusiek said recreation facilities in the core of the city are an essential part of community wellness and shouldn't be shuttered. She pointed to the City Plan's proposal for 15-minute districts as a key reason to keep the amenities open until new recreation centres can be funded, so that core neighbourhoods aren't left hanging. Both Tipton Arena and Scona Pool are in the Queen Alexandra neighbourhood.

“It absolutely contradicts the City Plan and I think that's very disappointing because a lot of Edmontonians engaged in good faith in that consultation process. That is a plan that people want to see happen and to close these facilities says that council isn't actually that serious about making that happen,” she said.

Kusiek, and a joint team of core neighbourhood community leagues, argued Scona Pool should remain open until a new facility can be built. The proposed $76-million Rollie Miles Rec Centre would be a small-scale building adjacent to Strathcona High School and offer an indoor pool, gym and outdoor skating rink.

Residents are calling for $2.2 million in design funding for this budget so the facility can be constructed in the 2023-26 cycle.

Scona Pool, the city's oldest, has been on the budget chopping block five times since 2009 and Kusiek said it is time to find a long-term solution so the cycle ends.

Mayor Don Iveson said he hears concerns about possible recreation centre closures and 94 other budget reduction items on the table, but his goal is to get to a zeroper-cent tax increase. If council chooses to save the facilities, the necessary savings would need to be made up in another way.

“My challenge back to members of council will be what is the offset or what is the interim funding solution so that we can stay at zero because I believe that is an important goal for all taxpayers who are struggling this year,” he said.

“It falls to the city to make a few tough decisions ourselves to at least try to get to zero, but balancing that off against not compromising key service levels and essential services and not making sort of short-term-ist decisions that have broader community consequences.”

During the budget discussion Thursday, the city also released a report on plans to overcome an estimated $152-million shortfall in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Expense management strategies, resulting in $50.3 million in savings, consist of workforce reductions as a result of decreased service levels as well as plans to reduce spending on contractors and training.

Council will also need to consider the reopening of six pools and three fitness facilities in 2021, which would result in a budget requirement of $7.5 million. These recommendations will be discussed by council Monday.

After hearing from roughly 80 speakers Thursday, council will deliberate and finalize the budgets next Wednesday and Friday.