Irreplacable Memorial Centre needs replacing
The city is once again looking at building a replacement for the Memorial Centre, agreeing this week to hire a consultant to determine if there is a need for a new OHL rink. To many it’s a simple fact that the building needs replacing but there are a number of questions to ask in terms of the potential upgrade.
The Peterborough Memorial Centre has character that you simply will not find in modern arenas. With it’s legendary square corners, the league’s largest hall of fame and the large balcony seating, the PMC is truly unique among OHL rinks. The history and architecture of the building further set it apart from most modern facilities. It’s an arena where the walls tell stories, a Maple Leaf Gardens in a sea of copycat Air Canada Centres. There are aspects of the building that are truly irreplaceable.
That said, it may be breaking down. If it can’t go forward because of issues in the ice plant, accessibility, the roof, the floor, or otherwise, the discussion then turns to where and how the new arena should be built.
The $80-million price tag suggested is a number in line with similar new projects but it’s not an amount that will be recouped through ticket sales and concessions. It likely means significant debt and investment of taxpayer money.
A new arena is unlikely to cause a large long term spike in attendance. Kingston’s K-Rock Centre opened in 2008, a year the team averaged 2,550 fans. For the 2008 to 2011 seasons attendance did increase by a few hundred fans per game. But by 201112, despite the arena being just four years old, the club averaged fewer than they did in the former Kingston Memorial Centre.
In both low attendance years, the Frontenacs missed the playoffs. In recent years, as the Frontenacs have stronger teams, attendance is over 3,500 per night, a number the former Kingston arena couldn’t support. The new arena has certainly been a positive for the city, but it is performance and not the arena driving attendance numbers. There aren’t that many staying home because of a lack of handrails.
That raises the question of size of a new Peterborough arena. Building too small could mean it becomes obsolete as the population grows, while building too large could leave a half empty building with little atmosphere. Continuing with Kingston, the K-Rock Centre holds 5,600 people, so at a healthy 3,500 people it doesn’t feel packed.
Improved on-ice success, marketing initiatives and in game experience, has pushed the Petes average attendance to over 3,000 per night but we’re just two years removed that number hovering around 2,500. Petes fans couldn’t consistently fill a 4,000 seat arena now but will it need 5,000-plus down the road?
Ideally a new arena would bring more supplementary events to Peterborough to keep the building in use and producing revenue on off nights. In recent years, many bands including The Tragically Hip, Bob Dylan and Arkells have bypassed Peterborough to play the new arenas in Oshawa and Kingston but is it the arena or the population size that is insufficient? Events that have been held here including Let It Be and Brit Floyd have been sparsely attended. Provided the above concerns are addressed and expectations are realistic, a new arena would be a good thing for the city and the Petes. It could help the Petes with player recruitment and reestablishing the team as a prestige OHL franchise, while giving the city a modern entertainment centre. I think we can also be certain they would get their deal with the city right from the start this time.