It’s been a little more than a year since we found out that the Civic Auditorium would be staying closed, and that Estevan would be moving forward with two arenas for the foreseeable future.
Since then, people have been wondering what would be the next step. Would the city move forward with the construction of a third arena? And if the city chooses not to build a third arena, would it go with a field house instead?
A lot of these questions are still unanswered. Thankfully, there is money in this year’s city budget to address some of the issues in the Power Dodge Ice Centre, but further investment will likely be needed so it can become what we need in a second rink.
The city has also awarded a recreation needs assessment to Altwest Communications, who will study the amenities the city has, including parks, open spaces, facilities and much more, and examine the catchment area of the patrons who are regular users of the facilities.
And they will approach user groups to get their feedback. Then they will make their recommendation, likely at some point this year.
It’s encouraging that the city is taking this step, and moving forward with the next recreation project in the city. Hopefully this process will provide us with new information, and it won’t merely reinforce everything we already know.
We know that it’s been tougher for minor hockey, figure skating and other ice user groups since the Civic was closed. Ice time is harder to come by, and while these user groups can draw on ice time from surrounding communities, such as Bienfait, they would much rather use arenas in Estevan, especially in the winter months when the weather can be unpredictable and road conditions can be difficult.
Estevan was fortunate to have three arenas. Many communities the size of this city only have two. And we saw that when Estevan had three arenas, there were considerable benefits for the local economy, since tournaments could attract more teams.
In deciding whether to build a third arena, the age of the PDIC also has to be considered. The arena is more than 40 years of age, and arenas aren’t always known for longevity. It appears to be in pretty good shape, but a new arena that will be suitable as a third rink now and a second rink down the line could be a good investment.
The field house represents an intriguing long-term possibility. It’s a facility that can host all sorts of user groups, and has greater year-round ability than a third arena.
But then the city will be tasked with a decision of how big to go. They don’t have the money to follow the direction of Weyburn, which has grandiose plans for its field house. But if the city goes bare bones, then they might want a mulligan in a few years.
There is one other amenity that needs to be discussed: an outdoor pool.
Estevan is likely the biggest community you’ll find without an outdoor swimming pool. We have the paddling pools in our playparks, but not a full-fledged outdoor swimming pool. There have been a lot of people clamouring for such a facility ever since the old outdoor swimming pool at Woodlawn Regional Park closed down late in the 20th century.
At the same time, some people won’t be happy if Estevan builds a recreation facility that gives us three or four months of use a year.
We hope the user groups will show up to these meetings, and be prepared to offer their thoughts to the company handling this assessment. Their presentations could go a long ways in determining whether they get what they want.
This study is coming at a time when Estevan is at a crossroads. We don’t know what the city will look like in 10 years. At one time not that long ago, Estevan could have likely built a field house, a third arena and an outdoor pool. Ah, the boom years.
But now the city faces a very tough decision, and they won’t be able to please everyone.
