On Friday, the project's manager, PCL, announced that the new arena will open Feb. 10.

But after so many opening dates have been announced then cancelled, councillors are hesitant to get excited about those announcements anymore.

They wonder about ice time, and if this season is a complete write-off for hockey teams and other groups who count on the arena.

"I'm a little hesitant to say yahoo just yet," said Coun. Robert Hawkins following a committee meeting Monday.

"I don't think we should have put a date on it. I think we should've just said we'll give people a couple of days notice. We've disappointed people so many times," Hawkins added. "We're not looking exceptionally confident right now. I don't think our communication strategy on this thing has been open to the public."

"It's getting ridiculous," Coun. Dave Ramsay said following the meeting. "I always said it wouldn't go on the date they said."

"This is a PCL date," Mayor Gord Van Tighem said when asked by councillors whether the opening date is dependable or not. According to an e-mail city council members received from PCL last week, the arena's completion was delayed because less work was done over the holidays, and a number of construction workers left the project.

"We need another tour of the facility," Ramsay said, following questions about lost revenue.

Currently the project is at least $2 million dollars over-budget. It may go even more into the red if the delays continue.

"I can guarantee when the auditors go through this thing they're going to go through it with a fine tooth comb," Hawkins said.

Two separate audits -- an engineering and a financial audit, will be done on the project, Hawkins said, once the arena is completed.