Prescott Council has approved the proposed new arena design drawings.
At last night’s Council meeting, the engineering’s drawings for the new arena was presented. The drawings incorporate feedback from the public and show the first and second floor plans. Director of Operations Dan Beattie says if they are shovel ready when funding opportunities come up, the town will have a better chance at getting funding. Beattie notes this approval does not commit the town to building the arena.
In the report to Council, it said, there were multiple sites reviewed including municipally and privately owned properties. With privately owned sites, soil conditions, size, cost and the availability of water and sewer are concerns. There is one municipally owned plot with the five to seven acres needed for the facility. The site is just east of the Public Works building in the Industrial Park. This location will require water and sewer to be installed.
The results of the public survey for the new arena were presented last night as well. Overall, 755 surveys were completed with 356 of them completed from people living in Prescott. The top two features Prescott residences and people outside of Prescott want are double side seating and a walking track. Those can both be found in the new designs. Beattie says the dressing rooms will be bigger. The majority of both residences and non- residences of Prescott said they would like to see parking addressed at the new arena.
Councillor Lee McConnell said he didn’t agree with the process being so quick and coming to Council at this point. McConnell adds he didn’t realize they were at the point of a survey yet and says he would’ve liked it to come to Council and see if there were any other questions to ask. McConnell says the town can’t afford more than a third of the new arena and suggests talking to neighbours of Prescott and see if they’d want to help. Mayor Brett Todd said he agrees with McConnell about it being fast but it is quick because it had to be. Mayor Todd adds the town is where they need to be in December and positioning themselves really well for funding applications. The Mayor also supported asking neighbours for help.
In the report to Council, the budget number for cost of a new arena is still between eight and 10-million dollars, not including the cost to service the property with water and sewer services.
Councillors McConnell and Mike Ostrander voted against approving the designs.