Civic Centre replacing wood floor

The Civic Centre’s aging wood floor is to be replaced with a much-less expensive version under an ongoing plan to convert the building into a conference-only facility.

Since the Northern Sport Centre was opened in 2007, revenue generated from sports and recreation at the Civic Centre has declined precipitously, according to a staff report included in Monday night’s city council agenda.

From $47,333 from 51 events in 2006, revenue dropped to $3,260 from eight events in 2016. In 2017, it jumped to $7,959 from 31 events after the NSC was closed for two months due to water damage to its wood flooring from when it hosted wildfire evacuees last summer. But so far this year, the Civic Centre has attracted just one sports and recreation event for $828.

The existing floating maple wood-sprung floor has reached the end of its life and installing a new one would cost the city $550,000 and about $4,200 a year to maintain, according to the report. In contrast, a non-sport floor has been priced out at about $145,000 for materials and installation with minimal maintenance, staff said.

“With the decline in the recreational use of the facility, the focus has been to transform the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre into Northern British Columbia’s premier meetings and conventions venue,” community services general manager Rob Whitwham said in the report to council.

“The addition of ‘conference’ to its name combined with an assertive strategic approach to attract more conferences and multi-day events to the City has resulted in greater revenue and a significant economic boost to the community.”