THUNDER BAY — A decision has been made on the decade-long topic of building an indoor turf facility in Thunder Bay.
On Monday night, city council voted in favour of accepting proposals from the private sector for building the facility using Option 3.
City manager Norm Gale addressed council about the facility, stating that he has a high degree of confidence in the proposal and that the numbers are balanced.
"As per your direction, council, the city's stakeholder consultation was held, and the results showed general support for the facility, including support for a $26 tax increase to finance the debt repayments.
"The city's annual funding gap, as reported through the asset management plan, indeed presents challenges. However, with careful planning and a thorough understanding and funding of life cycle maintenance costs, the city can manage these investments sustainably."
Gale noted that Option 3 is energy efficient and aligns with the city's plan, which focuses on growth, safety, well-being, and sustainability.
Two people were scheduled to speak to city council: Peter Augruso, president of Soccer Canada, and Mike Giona, director of facilities and general manager of Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan.
They spoke of their support for the multi-use facility and how other facilities like this have supported the communities they're built in.
"You should build what you currently have and what the community needs," said Giona.
Both individuals answered questions and explained to council the different rates they would charge to use the facility, the different sports groups that would use the space and other features to support the build in Thunder Bay.
Kayla Dixon, the city's director of engineering and operations, was on hand to answer councillors' questions.
She referenced the multiple community engagement opportunities that were offered to the public.
Results from the online engagement included feedback from 991 participants and outlined 73 per cent support for the current proposed location, while 27 per cent of those who answered the survey said they were not in support of the location.
Some of those answers include concerns regarding traffic after events, limited parking, limited room for facility expansion, transit accessibility and others.
Dixon spoke of the money-making opportunities of having a facility like this but told councillors that this has not been fully investigated yet.
At-large Coun. Trevor Giertuga asked Dixon that only the "bare minimum" would be included in the request for proposals (RFP) from interested contractors.
Dixon confirmed that only mandatory requirements would be included in the RFP, along with a scoring matrix for additional amenities or ideas that contractors could offer in their proposals.
Facility amenities would be based on stakeholder groups' needs and primarily energy efficiency and use.
Giertuga commented that he doesn't want to spend more time talking about the project than necessary.
"I think we all know where we stand on this. I hope we're not going to spend hours and hours talking because we've spent countless hours, countless years debating this, and all we've seen is increased prices," he said.
"Let's just make a decision. We don't need to talk three, four or five times on something that we already know. I could probably ask everyone here tonight, I bet we're not going to convince anyone either way.
"So let's just get through all this and let's go through other business and then make sure we do this properly."
Foulds agreed and chimed in that this is a legacy project, comparing it to the Canada Games Complex and what it's brought to the community over the decades.
He also acknowledged those in the community who are against the project as a whole and its price point.
At-large Coun. Mark Bentz, asked city administration what amount of the project will be debt-financed.
City treasurer Keri Greaves said of the approved $43 million, $19 million will be financed. He also described the cost of interest. Assuming a four-per-cent interest rate over 25 years, that amount would be approximately $9.7 million.
Bentz made a point to say that the interest costs aren't included in the total project amount. "That's not included in the $43 million, obviously. That's an additional cost that's not included in the information here."
He added up the numbers and said the project total now comes in at $52 million, which is something he doesn't support.
"Why we aren't getting funding, why we aren't getting partnerships is perplexing to me. It could be the cost of the facility that's driving away the private sector . . . There is no room to make money, doesn't mean you can't do it with other forms.
"I don't support the recommendation before us tonight," said Bentz, adding that he believes there are other options to bring funding or savings to the project.
"I want this thing built, I just don't think we're where we need to be yet."
A community member wanted to provide feedback on the turf facility, but wasn't allowed. The request wasn't submitted in time to be reviewed for Monday's meeting, and acting chair Andrew Foulds ruled the request out of order. The community member will have an opportunity to speak to council before the ratification of the vote at the next meeting on June 3.
After a lengthy discussion, Neebing Coun. Greg Johnsen put forward a motion to accept a request for proposals for Option 3 after a first round of questions from council members, with Giertuga seconding the motion.
Of the 12 councillors present, 10 voted in favour.
The item will be ratified at a future council meeting.
Katie Nicholls is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter with Newswatch
