Cambridge will be getting two new ice pads with the city purchasing 2,800 hours of guaranteed ice time at a cost of $1.24 million per year.
The city will also pay $150,000 as an annual lease to Buckingham Sports Properties Company, which is operating the facility on city-owned lands.
The expenses were part of an agreement, which was included in a report outlining the expansion of Cambridge Sports Park.
"Staff is of the opinion that the Buckingham plan to improve and expand Cambridge Sports Park is a significant opportunity," said Yogesh Shah, deputy city manager, Infrastructure Services at a council meeting Tuesday. "And (it) provides an affordable option for providing sustainable indoor recreation services. This will allow for decommissioning and re-purposing select facilities as new ice pads become operational."
Council agreed with staff's suggestion of the expansion being a viable way of making more ice time available to user groups as an affordable option for the city.
A 2019 staff report established that the cost to build a city-owned twin pad arena was $26 million, which would have to be debt financed, with an operating budget impact of 1.8 per cent to 2.5 per cent. The same year, the city approved the location of a recreation complex with a 25-metre swimming pool, multiple gymnasiums, a fitness track and multi-purpose rooms city-owned lands in southeast Galt.
The plan, which was shared by John Cook, vice-president of Buckingham, laid out that the company will develop a four-pad community rink facility, with 400 and 300 seat rinks, as well as additional 100 seats being tacked on to each of the existing rinks.The new complex will also comprise of 12 new dressing rooms, two referee rooms, fully equipped with showers and washrooms facilities. One of the arenas will also be set up to accommodate the requirements of sledge hockey.
The expansion will also provide 2,000 square feet of secured, accessible, ventilated, and climate-controlled storage/office space for city and sports user groups.
Talking about seating, Coun. Donna Reid asked if there was a chance the design could be redone to increase capacity.
Cook said the company's obligation to the city was to make sure there would be a minimum of 400 seats at the arenas.
"Our design right now doesn't allow for an expansion," he continued, adding, "we could look at standing-room only in providing a drink rail along the top row, so you could have another 100 to 150 people be able to stand if required at a championship."
As well, Cook said, there will be 75 accessible spots at ground level, in addition to more on the second level, which can be accessed with an elevator.
Coun. Scott Hamilton was concerned about the impact of closing two other facilities.
"What will we do about the jobs that will be lost?" he said. "Have you had any discussions with labour groups in the city and are you amenable to having these conversations?"
Shah said there is no staff loss expected if council approves the expansion, triggering decommissioning of two of the older arenas.
"The staff that work in those places, work in other aspects of city maintenance," he said. "They will be retained."
Hamilton also wanted to know if there was ample green space for any future additions.
"There is some excess land that is in the 16 acres that we now lease," said Cook. "We were using a number of that excess land for soccer pre-COVID. We thought in the long range, we would improve that area for soccer. It would only allow for one pitch."
Coun. Jan Liggett asked if there would be enough room in the expansion to house the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame.
Shah confirmed that would be the case.
Liggett also asked about other facilities that may be made available at the expanded complex.
"When some of us toured your Downsview facility," she said to Cook, "you had sports psychologists there, are you looking to have that same type of service for Cambridge residents?"
Cook said that was part of the plans.
"We've looked at adding additional space for a sports psychologist," he said. "One of the plans I'm working on right now with the architect is for a physiotherapist. We try to make our facilities a one-stop shop for athletes."
With council's go-ahead, Cook said, the company anticipates the puck will drop at the new rinks in September 2023.
