City council has approved $12.4 million in upgrades to Brian Orser Arena, which will add 20 to 25 years of life to the 50-year-old facility on Gill Street.
Without significant investment, continued operation of the facility presents risks, as various arena components are near the end of their useful life, city staff stated in a 2024 draft budget document discussed at a meeting Tuesday.
Council was presented with two options for the arena: invest the necessary funds to keep it functional, which city staff recommended, or decommission and demolish the facility over the next several years.
Coun. Ralph Cipolla winced at the prospect of spending $12.4 million on the aging arena, and instead pitched an idea to build a new facility — or at least delay making a decision until the full cost of building a new arena is determined.
He suggested a new facility could potentially bring Junior A and Junior B hockey teams to the city, provide youth with more sports opportunities, host concerts, create jobs, drive tourism, and more, versus saving Brian Orser Arena, which is “not NHL sized.”
“I’ve communicated with … people who designed Phase 1 of the (Orillia Recreation Centre) and, through consultation with them, they said we could build a 35,000-square-foot arena for somewhere between $17 million and $21 million, and that way we have a brand-new arena,” Cipolla said.
He said a new arena could be part of Phase 2 work at the recreation centre, and suggested delaying the work until further discussions are had on a potential new arena.
“Those are things we need to take into consideration before we spend $12.5 million on repairing something that’s 50 years old,” he said.
Mayor Don McIsaac, however, disagreed with Cipolla’s idea.
“The proposal you have is just adequately insufficient. It’s not more than an email,” he said. “You forgot the Perch Fest. I think we could probably add that to the list, in terms of everything else you’ve added into the arena.”
McIsaac said there are numerous aspects of a new arena unaccounted for in Cipolla’s $17- to $21-million figure, such as architecture, engineering, environmental needs, and more.
“It’s just a very basic proposal. Most of the other arenas in the area that are being constructed are $30 to $40 million,” he said.
McIsaac added there is demand for ice time in the city, arguing there is no time to wait on a decision, or shut down of the city’s three rinks, and he suggested Cipolla bring a proposal forward for a fourth arena at a later date.
“Maybe next budget year, come back and say, ‘Yes, we now have a proposal for a fourth arena, and here’s what it is, and here’s how we’re going to do it,’” the mayor said. “We just don’t have enough information now, and I think to hold the progress of Brian Orser Arena is just absolute folly at this point.”
John Henry, the city’s treasurer and chief financial officer, said there are differences in how new projects and refurbishment projects need to be funded.
The government requires a new-growth project to be funded through development charges, he said, while the upgrades for Brian Orser Arena will come from the city’s asset replacement reserve.
“I will draw your attention that our development charges are in a negative position in that particular (development charge), which is indoor recreation, (and it is) pre-spent and not planned to recover until after 2030,” he said. “We would not have that ability to fund a new arena through development charges for some time, which would be drawing on other reserves.”
The city is also awaiting a decision on a potential $6-million grant for the project, which staff said would drive the price of refurbishment down significantly compared to the costs of a new arena.
“If we move forward with a new facility … the annualized capital cost is going to be about $1 million, so we can provide the same service for $500,000,” said Roger Young, general manager of environment and infrastructure services. “If we get the grants, that’s going to be close to $300,000 a year.”
Young also said Brian Orser Arena’s systems are “in the red” in terms of risk, should there be any delay in a decision.
Other members of council agreed to move forward with the work.
“School buses (as replacements for transit buses) and garbage tags annoy people. Closed arenas are a very close third. I’ve lived through a couple of those, and they are not pleasant times,” said Coun. Tim Lauer. “The community deserves to have the ongoing service.”
Young said there well be service interruptions in fall 2024 as part of the work. If all goes as planned, he said, service could return by October or November, but staff is targeting January 2025.
Earlier this year, council approved $140,000 to complete design work for Brian Orser Arena. More may be read about the planned upgrades here.
Capital budget deliberations wrapped up Tuesday. Decisions made during budget meetings are subject to ratification on Dec. 11.
