Morrow Park now preferred for twin pad

Project now estimated to cost $54.9M without a swimming pool

The city may abandon Fleming College as its site for a new twin-pad arena — city council may be looking to Morrow Park instead.

The n ew twin-pad was planned for the main campus of Fleming College on Brealey Drive in the south end of the city. But a new city staff report states that while Fleming College remains interested, it has asked that the project be “paused” for now as they focus on working through the COVID-19 pandemic. That could mean a delay of “several years,” however — and city staff doesn’t recommend waiting.

Instead, the report recommends council look to Morrow Park — and to hire Perkins + Will Architects (which did the original twin-pad design) to do a concept design and cost estimates. It wouldn’t be the first location change for the twinpad arena: it was originally planned for Trent University as

a replacement for the nowclosed Northcrest Arena. But a year ago council changed its mind about the Trent location because the building would have impinged on a provincially significant wetland.

At the time, council had a short window to choose another site: it wanted to apply for a grant from the provincial and federal governments on a tight deadline.

Council then chose a site it had considered previously — at Fleming College — and the application was made. The city applied for about $38 million of the project’s $52.5-million estimated cost. But councillors heard recently the funding application was rejected, leaving the fate of the project up in the air.

City staff met recently with college staff and First Nations representatives, states the new staff report — and that’s when the college asked for the project to be “paused.”

The lack of government grant means the city must rethink how it will pay, but the staff report has ideas such as:

The city pays for the entire project through user fees, development charges and taxsupported debt.

The city considers a publicprivate partnership.

The new estimated cost of construction (contingency included) is $54.9 million, states the report — but that wouldn’t include a pool.

Officials from the Trent Swim Club had previously asked council for a competitive pool, and although council had expressed interest that’s been “paused” until council can consider this newest report.

If council is interested, a fresh report on moving the arena to Morrow Park could be available by summer 2021.