Council wants to revisit original proposal
Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 17/01) - It's back to the board room for Yellowknife's new arena.
The replacement for Gerry Murphy Arena was originally planned for completion by September, but members of city council now want to revisit a plan to build a new arena on a corner of the Sir John Franklin high school property.
Last fall, five of the eight current members of council supported the plan from an 18-member arena advisory committee to build a phased twin-pad arena on the school site.
The plan was supported by Yellowknife School District #1 board last week.
But at a committee meeting Monday, Coun. Dave McCann said council needs to revisit the plan now that the city will take over the current Yellowknife Correctional Centre site from the Government of the Northwest Territories.
"The community's centre gravitates closer to that end than the other end," said McCann of the benefits of the YCC site.
Coun. Alan Woytuik said the city could start building on the land without having first to tear down the correctional centre.
"(When the arena decision was made) the two could not co-exist," said Woytuik.
Coun. Robert Hawkins -- who was not part of last year's council -- had some problems with the two-phase plan. He said the second pad might never happen and the city would waster taxpayers' money.
"I don't want the city to invest a million dollars into something that might never happen and lose that money," said Hawkins.
In the end, most councillors decided to revisit the original proposal which left Gary Vivian, chair of the arena committee, shaking his head.
"I'm a little frustrated," said Vivian.
"We felt the recommendations where acceptable and it was a done deal."
The committee began working on the proposal in 1997.
Councillors Kevin O'Reilly and Dave Ramsay supported the original proposal but conceded to the rest of council.
Council is expected to review the plan at a Jan. 30 committee meeting.
