Memorial Arena may survive, but as dry-floor facility
Hockey would no longer be played at historic rink
If Penticton city council follows the advice of its Arena Task Force, historic Memorial Arena will survive — but not as a palace for ice hockey.
Results of the task force’s work were released on Thursday and recommend construction of a new twin-surface, multi-use arena to be constructed on the west side of the South Okanagan Events Centre complex. Memorial would be kept as a dry-floor facility and the city’s fourth arena, McLaren Park, would be decommissioned. Many residents feared Memorial would be demolished and replaced with parking stalls for the new casino.
Mayor Andrew Jakubeit, in a phone interview, agreed there’s sentimentality for the 70-year-old arena, which was home to the world champion Penticton Vees of 1955 and is one of the last of its kind in B.C.
In a poll conducted by Oraclepoll in October 2016 and commissioned by The Herald, 48 per cent of Penticton residents said they favour restoration of the arena compared with 23 per cent who were opposed and 29 per cent who were unsure.
“There is definitely sentiment in the community to keep and preserve the history of Memorial Arena and that’s addressed in the options,” he said. “That was one of the key points raised by the community. Nobody wants to make a final decision based solely on emotion, and I feel the task force did a very good job.”
The 14-member task force suggests that during the construction phase, repairs be made to Memorial and McLaren Arenas to keep both operational for the next several years. Once the new facility is completed, Memorial would be converted to an exclusive dry-floor facility accommodating sports such as lacrosse, pickleball and ball hockey.
“This option made the most sense for the grant application,” arena task force chairman Stewart Ladyman said in a statement. “It has a good chance of generating funding from grants as well as private donations and it meets the needs of the user groups today and in the future.”
The chosen option is estimated to cost $33.9 million and would help meet Penticton’s arena needs for the next 50 years.
The task force notes that up to $6 million in grant money could be obtained. Jakubeit said that will be a major determining factor on whether council votes to proceed with the project.
Council is holding a public meeting on Tuesday at City Hall, beginning at 6 p.m. The results of the task force will be discussed publicly for the first time. No final decision will be made at that time, Jakubeit said, but a vote could be taken on whether to apply for grant funding.
The task force has met regularly since its members were announced in December.
The task force considered a number of criteria to determine their recommended option for the grant application, including how well the option meets the needs of the user groups, the overall value for the taxpayer, feedback from the community and the opportunity to generate funding such as grants and private donations.
“The entire process has been quite thorough and informative with a good cross-section of people from the community,” Jakubeit said. “We’ve had experts in the field as well as stakeholders from various groups and everyone has done a good job.”
Members of the arena task force are: Jamie Materi (Penticton Minor Hockey), Pam MacDonald (dry floor, lacrosse); Trevor Buttenham (Glengarry Figure Skating Club), Mike Hopkin (adult hockey), Fred Harbinson (Penticton Vees) Andy Oakes (Okanagan Hockey Group), and community members Ladyman, Frank Regehr, Bruce Millington, Larry Lund, Ryan Schultz, Garth Astles, Neil Jamieson and Larry Kenyon.
To view the task force report, go online to penticton.ca.