COLLIN GALLANT
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On a night when City Council approved asking for bids to design and build the long-controversial Regional Event Centre most of the public discussion revolved around possible locations for a fire station that wasn’t even in the city budget plan that passed earlier in the evening.
With lightning speed, and limited debate, council moved to the ‘Phase Two’ in planning the Event Centre, an issue had been mired in a rancorous back-and-forth argument about everything from size to location since the first feasibility study in 2005.
“If there was any question about where the Event Centre would be built, that question is closed," said Ald. Les Pearson, who campaigned for a downtown location during the last election, but seconded Tuesday’s motion as a member of the Public Services Committee.
"This will be the Box Springs Event Centre, and I'm sad to say that, but the time for criticism and fault finding has passed.... I also know that this project can be great for the citizens of Medicine Hat and it needs our undivided support.”
On Tuesday, aldermen and the mayor voted unanimously to create a process to procure qualified competitive bids to design and build the replacement for the 42-year-old Medicine Hat Arena.
The current consultant MHPM Project managers will be hired at a cost of $1.3 million to facilitate the request for proposal process. That will be paid for with the interest that has accrued in money already set aside for the project.
The move doesn’t ensure the Event Centre will be built. Council still has to approve a funding model and give the final go ahead with — construction.
Tuesday’s motion saw the City setting down its final requests for the facility.
Information provided with the motion said that MHPM recommends the arena have 5,500 fixed seats for hockey, but be easily convertible to 6,500 in the main seating bowl. Another 500 people could be accommodated in boxes, standing room and a restaurant, and floor seating for concerts would provide spaces for 1,000.
The RFP bids will determine the final price tag, said Public Services chair Alderman Graham Kelly, who made it clear after the meeting the design and particulars of the rink are not up for public debate.
“We’ve had 10 years of input from the public about what should be in the facility — most of it contradictory — and what we plan to do is look at the designs put before us and, if the price is right, go from there,” said Kelly.
“Just as location is no longer up for discussion, other points of this are not up for discussion. The public, if they want, can organize a referendum against it or if they wish, they can throw us all out at election time in 2013.”
On Tuesday council also finalized its list of strategic priorities, which includes the statement that “A regional event Centre and complementary amenities are built and operating by 2015.”
Though the vote was unanimous, the final price — rumoured to be in the $70 million range — remains a huge hurdle.
During the REC debate City CAO Ray Barnard responded to a question from Ald. John Hamill about the total cost of planning, discussing and hiring companies related to the Regional Event Centre.
That number is about $500,000, not including Tuesday’s motion.
“I’ve got to find out what it will cost,” said Hamill of the bid process. “I’ll support this (RFP plan) but if the price isn’t right, there are a lot of people who won’t.”
That sentiment was echoed around the council table but Mayor Norm Boucher said the price will be flushed out in the bid process and brought back before council.
“Our consultants have told us that this can be built for less than (previous estimates of) $94 million, and they gave us parameters. We’re going to keep the numbers close to our chest because we don’t want builders knowing what we’d be willing to pay.”