Construction on developments in The Yard district started this past summer. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

City Hall

Yard District mostly sold out, city hires fundraiser firm for arenas

Jan 24, 2023 | 10:06 AM

Mayor Greg Dionne says the city’s bet that building the new arenas and aquatic centre would pay off in development is well on its way to fruition.

With 70 per cent of the lots now sold and 10 new businesses already planned in the new Yard District, Dionne says the community is looking forward to the project’s completion.

“It’s so positive, it’s so exciting,” he said. “The fundraising is the last piece to help pay for that project.”

At yesterday’s meeting, council voted seven to two in favour of hiring OCG Philanthropic Services to raise $20 million for the city’s project.

“The $20 million is to help pay off the construction. You look at how much you think you can raise from the community, you ask the government for funding and then you fund what you can,” Dionne said.

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As council has said before, new development that is being constructed because of the arenas and pool will have their tax revenue go to help paying for the cost of the city facilities.

A Holiday Inn is already well underway with multiple storeys visible, and there is more to come with the 10 lots having been sold.

“For the next three or four years, the city is going to be booming, not only with construction jobs but new good jobs for our public,” Dionne said.

As always, when council discusses the arenas and pool project, it is not without some debate and yesterday was no different.

An attempt to amend the motion that hired the fundraising company include a branch library and daycare as part of the aquatic centre met with discussion and ultimately failure.

Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp wants to expand the scope of the project.

“Why would we not include a branch library,” she asked. “I’m guessing we would be the only such facility in North America to be newly built without a branch library being included.”

Other councillors said that they would support the idea of a branch library in the future but were not willing to change the current pool plan to accommodate it.

Lennox-Zepp and Coun. Charlene Miller voted in favour of adding the library but the rest of council was opposed.

The cost of hiring the fundraising company was just under $650,000.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com