Estevan city council has voted to reopen the 60-year-old Civic Auditorium, as long as the City of Estevan receives full insurance coverage.
Council voted unanimously in favour of reopening the arena, pending the insurance findings, at Monday night's meeting. They hope to have the report from the insurance company either this week or next week.
If the insurance report is favourable, then some repairs will be needed to get the arena open again. Those repairs are expected to take a few days. If the arena reopens, then other work can take place.
"We would have to restrict the public to a maximum of 300 spectators, and confine the seating and the activities to the south side of the building," said Mayor Roy Ludwig.
And while council feels confident in reopening the Civic for at least the duration of the current ice sports season, Ludwig noted the mechanical and electrical inside the building are at the end of their lifespan.
Ludwig said the findings of a report by C.A. Reed and Associates factored into council's opinion. Local residents hired C.A. Reed to conduct a survey of the Civic, to get a second opinion on the building.
A report by another engineering firm, WSP Group, led council to close the Civic indefinitely on Nov. 7.
The meeting attracted a few members of the public who supported keeping the Civic open. One of them, Warren Waldegger, expects the insurance company’s findings will be favourable.
“I see no reason why the insurance would play a role here,” said Waldegger. “I think they have a document that allows them to move forward with a short-term plan, and then hopefully we can look at a long-term strategy.”
Ludwig said council members have received lots of feedback, particularly from people with Estevan Minor Hockey Association, who wanted to see the arena remain open.
This week's edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
