A draft designs of the new recreation complex. (Submitted photo/City of P.A.)

By Alison Sandstrom

Monday meeting

Council to discuss 4,500 seat arena and further land purchase for new rec complex

Apr 29, 2021 | 6:06 PM

Council is set to make some big decisions on the future of Prince Albert’s new multimillion dollar recreation complex Monday night, including potentially purchasing an additional $2.5 million worth of land.

Also at the meeting, councillors will vote on whether to get started on the much-anticipated 4,500 seat arena slated for phase two of the project by approving an estimated $3.2 million agreement for its detailed design.

City administration is recommending awarding the design to a different pair of architectural firms than the two currently working on the detailed design of the two rinks and aquatics centre in phase 1 of the project.

The firms being recommended to design the large arena, BBB Architects and KSA Architects, hail from Toronto and Saskatoon. In a media release, the city said they have extensive experience with NHL-size arenas and are well known for their multi-use designs, which include Budweiser Gardens in London, Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, and Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Approving the detailed design of the large arena on Monday will allow it to proceed alongside the development of the twin arenas and aquatic centre, the city said.

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“Once approved we can discuss the project as a whole rather than each element in isolation with both architect firms working collaboratively to move the project forward,” Mayor Greg Dionne said in the release. “With detailed design happening on the same schedule, we can be sure the space is designed with the ultimate vision in mind.”

According to council documents, if approved on Monday, the detailed design of the large arena is expected to be complete by summer of 2022. Construction is anticipated to take two years, beginning in the fall of 2022. That puts the potential opening of the WHL-size arena in fall of 2024, just a year behind when the city hopes to cut the ribbon on phase 1 of the complex (two smaller rinks and aquatic centre.)

According to tender documents, the estimated cost of the large arena is $60 million. Unlike the first phase of the project, Prince Albert does not have federal or provincial funding for it. In March the city established a fundraising committee for the project.

A further land purchase

Council will also consider buying a further seven acres of land from Signature Developments Corporation, the company that sold the city the original 18 acres for the recreation complex last year at a cost of $6.5 million.

The price-tag for the additional parcel is $2.5 million. The city said it will be used for additional parking – for a minimum of 1,214 parking stalls – and will allow the complex to be positioned on the north east side of the development facing Highway 3, “providing for a more impressive presentation of the facility.”

“For the past three years I have been at the majority of Raider games speaking with people attending the games and overwhelmingly what I heard was the need for more parking. Expanded space for parking is an important component of the project,” Dionne said. “We are also sensitive to the issue of access in-and-out of the facility and this will be a top consideration as we head into detailed design with both architect firms.”

The city said the cost of the proposed land purchase is below market value compared to “a recent commercial land sale in the area.”

The amount the city paid for the original land purchase from Signature Developments Corporation became a flashpoint during the recent municipal election, with one mayoral candidate and a controversial anonymous pamphlet claiming the city overpaid.

Monday’s meeting begins at 5 p.m.

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alison.sandstrom@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alisandstrom