Ald. Cheryl Best, the most outspoken critic of the project on council, is on vacation and will not be back for the Feb. 2 meeting of the community services committee or the council meeting the following week.

"We've got to make a decision on it," said Mayor Dave Lovell Monday.

Lovell pointed out that if council does not start making decisions soon, there will be none left to make.

He said there are basically three things that have to be decided -- whether the city is going to become a partner in the Sir John Franklin high school gymnasium upgrade, where the rest of the facility will be built, and what will be contained in it.

"Right now we're right where we were last year," noted Lovell.

Asked if Best's absence will slow the decision-making process, Lovell said, "No. Council is an entity. It just keeps moving -- if I'm not there it goes on, if Cheryl's not there it goes on."

Ald. David Ramsay, a member of the community services committee, agreed that the time for talk is over.

"We seem to be just sitting on it," said Ramsay. "Some decisions will probably be reached Feb. 2 -- we're going to have to decide one way or the other if we're going to build it this year."

Best has so far urged restraint on the project. She has said it is far more important to deal with the economic downturn caused by depressed gold prices.

Lovell, on the other hand, has urged council and the public to take a longer term approach, noting the facility will have a life of between 50 and 60 years.

Contacted in Vancouver, where she is attending a mining conference prior to taking a vacation, Best also agreed that decisions need to be made, but not all of them.

"I definitely prefer to be back, but decisions still need to be made ... certain things like the Sir John deadline are particularly time sensitive.

"I think if they go ahead and make a decision on the arena right now it would be a bit premature, not because I'm not there, but because they don't have all of the information they need to make a decision."