Lion's Head Arena (Photo from Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula website)
Northern Bruce Peninsula will be conducting a building assessment of the Lion’s Head community centre & arena before any further consideration of renovations to it.
Council approved the assessment at a meeting on Monday. They also rejected a compact design for the redevelopment.
Last week, Northern Bruce Peninsula council paused redevelopment plans for the Lion’s Head community centre and arena, over site drainage and cost concerns. A report to council pegged the cost of the project — which would include a new fitness area, new change rooms, and space for the Friendship Club and a library branch — at about $17-million.
Consultants prepared cost estimates for a couple of other options as well. The second was an $11 million compact design, which would not include space for the Friendship Club. And a $31-million new build, which would have space for town hall operations, a library, a gymnasium, walking track and more. It would also allow for outdoor amenities like a skateboard park and play structure.
Mayor Milt McIver says, “for me, the compact design doesn’t achieve what we are trying to achieve.”
Coun. Todd Dowd adds the original 2012 plan for the redevelopment had six dressing rooms all the same size.
“To go to this compact design with two bigger and four smaller, I think would just be a waste of time and money,” Dowd says. “There needs to be six the same size.”
Council would like to know more about the lifespan of the arena. The last building assessment was done in 2006.
McIver says, “I think we need a building assessment on that arena to give us some idea of the life expectancy years on it.”
A report from CAO Peggy Van Mierlo-West says an assessment will provide valuable insight into the overall health of the facility and help determine if additional improvements will be needed to extend its life.
Van Mierlo-West says when they receive proposals on the costs for the building assessment, they will be brought back to council for approval.
“That report will also include timelines, scope of work, those type of things,” says Van Mierlo-West.