Yellowknife (May 07/04) - Officials from Yellowknife's French community say they have the perfect idea for the Gerry Murphy arena site: a two-building complex with an enclosed laneway, a terrace and public meeting rooms.

"It really fits the needs of the entire community by incorporating green space and public use space," said Sylvie Pellerin, director of the Francophone Cultural Association.

The proposal is one of several being considered by city council, which announced the last year that the Gerry Murphy Arena would be demolished, opening up a coveted plot of land beside City Hall on Frame Lake.

Francophone officials presented their idea to council on April 19 and then again to members of the French community Thursday night at William McDonald School.

Their vision includes a multi-million-dollar two-building complex, with a laneway running between the two buildings.

The laneway, which could potentially be enclosed by glass, would be an excellent venue for local artists to display their work, said Jean-Francois Pitre, president of the Economic Development Council of the NWT.

One of the buildings would serve as a Francophone community centre and other would contain a series of multi-purpose rooms that could be rented out.

"It's important that the project be able to generate revenue," said Pitre.

"We don't want it to be a white elephant."

Officials also envisioned building a cafe and terrace overlooking Frame Lake along with a place to rent boats.

"There aren't many places for tourists to visit in Yellowknife," said Pitre. "There's the museum, the assembly and that's about it."

Pitre estimates the complex will cost somewhere between two and three million dollars. He says most of the funds can be raised through a series of federal and territorial government grants.

During the public meeting April 29, councillor David McCann said he liked the project, but cautioned it could be at least a year before city council made its decision on what to do with the land.