Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 05/02) - A city councillor wants to keep the Gerry Murphy arena open an extra year, even though the aging arena has been scheduled for permanent closure this May.

Dave Ramsay says users of Yellowknife arenas need three ice surfaces.

Construction on a new twin-pad arena is on track for completion this September but only one pad will be completed, leaving the city with only two rinks.

"We shouldn't be so quick to lock the door" on the Gerry Murphy, Ramsay said. "It's not going to cost a great deal of money to keep it going for a while."

He plans to raise the idea at an upcoming council meeting.

Safety concerns

The Gerry Murphy was constructed in the 1950s. But its wooden construction poses a number of problems under modern fire codes, and concerns over fire safety prompted NWT Fire Marshal Don Gillis to order it closed by May 1.

Without installing fire separations or a sprinkler system, the Gerry Murphy won't reopen, said city community services director Grant White.

"It's completely feasible," he said. "The only thing we have to do is address some of the concerns from the fire marshal."

Upgrades expensive

A few years ago, a study of needed upgrades found that it would cost $1.1 million to keep the building serviceable. That number has since fallen, thanks to short-term work on the arena, but the renovation price tag would still be hefty, said White.

Other councillors supported keeping the building open an extra year but were wary of the cost.

"I'm not opposed to the idea, but I'd want to know what the cost of it would be," said Coun. Kevin O'Reilly.

Coun. Ben McDonald suggested it would be wiser to spend money on speeding construction of the second surface at the new twin-pad arena.

"I'd be unwilling to spend a million bucks on (the Gerry Murphy), when it's only a couple million to finish off the other arena," he said.

Coun. Alan Woytuik agreed, saying he wouldn't support much spending on the Gerry Murphy.

Completing the second sheet will cost an estimated $2.8 million. A fundraising committee is currently collecting that money by selling sponsorships for various parts of the arena.

Joe Walsh, a member of the committee, said optimistic projections would see the second pad open by September 2003. The committee has about $100,000 in firm commitments to date.

Keeping the Gerry Murphy open would give ice users "a little bit of breathing room," said Walsh, but he added that he would rather see city capital dollars go to the new arena.

Walsh expects to announce some major sponsorships later in the month.

Ultimately, the decision on injecting another year of life into the venerable Gerry Murphy belongs with the fire marshal. But Gillis is staying tight-lipped.

"I don't like to respond to hypotheticals in the media," he said. "If (the city) wants to discuss it with me, they know how to get a hold of me. I'll listen to what they have to say and make a decision based on that."