DRESCHEL: Arena reno report delayed until April
Hamilton Spectator
By Andrew Dreschel
http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story...d-until-april/
We're going to have to wait a little longer for the release of the much anticipated private sector report on options for updating the aged city-owned FirstOntario Centre.
The $240,000 study, which has been in the city's hands for several months, will now go before councillors April 5 instead of March 22 as planned.
The debate has been pushed back so Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Glen Norton, director of economic development, can attend the meeting, said John Hertel, director of strategic partnerships and revenue generation, who's now handling the file as part of the city's land development task force.
Eisenberger and Norton are expected to be away on a trade mission to Germany at the time of the original March date. Hertel says both men want to be present when staff finally presents the report laying out costed options for the 30-year-old downtown arena, formerly known as Copps Coliseum.
Council will likely have no appetite for committing itself to an immediate course of action given the city's deepening budget challenges.
But the fact the faded arena was an element in why Hamilton recently lost out on hosting the Canadian Hockey League's Memorial Cup tournament indicates the time has come to seriously discuss its future entertainment and economic development role.
The report by international venue experts Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects (BBB) includes both a technical analysis of every physical aspect of the centre and spells out two costly makeover options.
One involves turning the lower bowl into a state-of-the-art 8,000-or-so seat facility. The other is a full renovation, elevating the 17,000-seat building to current NHL and other pro league standards.
Though the report remains confidential, the first option is believed to be in the $70-million range while the second clocks in at around $250 million.
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