A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) outlines the details of a proposed new arena that could house the Sudbury Wolves.
Sudbury officials have been weighing the possibility of a new arena. Last year, the Wolves were purchased by Dario Zulich, who was involved in a proposal called the True North Strong Event Centre, which included an arena as part of a mixed-use development.
PwC’s report outlines a few details on the arena, which is slated to seat 5,800 and cost roughly $80 million, though that figure does not include land and site servicing. The proposal also calls for Sudbury to procure a long-term agreement with the Wolves to serve as a tenant.
City officials still have other issues to consider, including the arena site and possible funding models. The full report is expected to be discussed by the city council on March 7. More from The Sudbury Star:
City council must now decide whether to ask for bids for such a project and where to build it. PwC said it is unlikely the federal or provincial governments will be willing to sink any money into building a new arena/events centre.
“It is likely that debt financing will be required, regardless of what other forms of financing, if any, council is interested in utilizing for this project,” PwC said in its report. “It is unlikely, however, that senior levels of government will contribute funds toward the construction of a new arena/event centre. Discussions with both provincial and federal government representatives are ongoing, but experience in other communities indicates it is unlikely that the city can expect to receive capital funds from either the provincial or federal government for this project.”
PwC put the cost of building the centre at least at $80 million. The cost will run higher if the city wants additional ice pads.
In addition, “it should also be noted that this estimate excludes any extraordinary site-related costs which could serve to increase total project costs (for example, because of geotechnical issues, site constructability issues, etc.), as well as the costs associated with any off-site improvements needed to facilitate the effective operations of the” events centre, such as access road improvements, parking, hydro enhancements and the like.
The Wolves, members of the Ontario Hockey League, currently play their games at Sudbury Community Arena, a downtown venue that opened in 1951.
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