Yellowknife, NWT – An update now on talks involving significant upgrades to the Hay River Arena.
The community’s mayor, Andrew Cassidy, says councillors reviewed the requests for proposals during Monday’s council meeting about potential construction on the almost 40-year-old facility.
Cassidy says further discussion is necessary.
“There wasn’t a decision made or direction given, so it’s going to come back as a report to our meeting on Monday and we will figure out a more concrete direction that point in time. There is still discussion to have on the process, finance options and what the next steps would be.”
Cassidy knows there are some major barriers that have to be addressed before the project is given the green light.
“There is an appetite not to lose an ice season and people in the community want to see the facility stay more or less where it is. Those are some of the fixed elements to the project and the big stumbling block is the financing of it.”
Cassidy says all of the work could cost roughly $20 million in the long run.
He adds, among other things, the arena’s roof and ice need upgrading.
Cassidy says Hay River would have to have a plebiscite before any sort of money could be committed to the project.
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