Hurdles in way for Senators to make deal at Lebreton Flats

The Ottawa Senators are serious about making a deal with the National Capital Commission to move to Lebreton Flats, but there are still hurdles both sides need to overcome to make that happen.

As the debate continues to rage on about where the club should build a new rink, Senators president and chief executive officer Cyril Leeder told those attending a city building summit organized by the Ottawa Board of Trade on Tuesday the club’s sole focus is on making a deal at Lebreton Flats.

“The only site we’re really focused on right now has been Lebreton Flats,” Leeder told the conference Tuesday afternoon. “There are other sites in the city. We’ve looked at a number of those. Probably too early to say definitively where the arena’s going to go, but at this point the only site we are really serious with is

Lebreton Flats.”

The clock is ticking on the Senators and the National Capital Commission to get a lease agreement in place to build a new rink on the site, which is located 10 minutes West of Parliament Hill.

Senators owner Michael Andlauer and his partners have been given an extension until September by NCC chief executive officer Tobi Nussbaum to get a lease agreement in place.

While representatives of the two sides continue bi-weekly meetings to try to get a lease agreement in place, league sources told Postmedia on Wednesday there are issues to be settled in this negotiation, not the least of which is the size of the parcel of land.

The NCC has set aside a seven-acre piece of land on Albert Street between Preston Street and City Centre, just west of Ottawa’s new central library, which is now under construction.

By comparison, the Canadian

Tire Centre and the surrounding parking lots sit on 75 acres.

Under the current scenario at Lebreton, sources say the Senators are concerned they have little to no room for public parking and the organization would have to rely on light-rail transit.

As we know, the LRT system is troubled, to say the least, and yes it will get figured out someday, but the Senators don’t want that to be the only way in and out of the rink.