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Originally Posted by bingun
Marco Polo replica sails into its permanent location
https://tj.news/saint-john-south/marco-polo-replica-sails-into-its-permanent-location
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Part of that includes partnerships and Ogden said Port Saint John’s willingness to provide the replica a permanent home fits that bill perfectly.
“The port has been a saviour. The Port of Saint John is just…. They’ve been tremendous,” he said. “We’re really impressed with the port.”
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“We have to put the masts up and I’ve had those donated, the wood,” he said. “We’re looking at lighting it at night and we’re going to build a false dock about three feet out and put barrels around it. We’re going to do a figurehead and stern carvings. We’re going to do the riggings and we have a monument in front of city hall and that monument will come here and we’ll have a sign board that will tell the whole story.”
Just when those final touches are completed, however, depends on fundraising. Ogden said he estimates he’ll need to raise roughly $150,000 to complete the project as it sits in his mind. He’s not concerned, he added, as he has been successful with people volunteering, people donating and individuals and businesses providing gifts-in-kind. It took $3 million in private donations to build the replica.
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Surely a few local businesses can cough up a little to get it finished.
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As said in the port thread I'm quoting this post from... $150k really isn't much at this point, and should be relatively easy to get to the finish line at this point. I see Barry O even is trying to get individuals to e-Transfer him funds for the remaining, but surely some big corporate sponsors, or even the NB Museum could find some funding to help see this project fully realized and open for the public to enjoy!
However, this picture points out another opportunity that only needs about $150,000 to become a vastly improved public asset, and that's the Memorial Cup outdoor hockey rink, as seen here directly above the Marco Polo replica.
Surely for $150,000 or less, a roof could be installed which could transform this Memorial Cup legacy project into a near 365 day a year public recreation asset.
As it sits currently, this outdoor hockey facility is only available for hockey during the non winter season, and on non rainy days. I think it's shockingly un-Canadian that Saint John has a half a million dollar hockey facility locked up and unusable for the he entirety of winter season, because the the DTI claims the lack of roof makes the risk of falling ice and snow on would be skaters and hockey players below.
Well, why don't we do something about this and get some funding for a roof to keep this $500,000 hockey facility open during all 4 seasons?
Barry Ogden has talked frequently in the City Hall chambers about the lack of rinks in Saint John, and the need to catch up with Fredericton and Moncton who are doing a better job in terms of their ice strategy. Why not start with this facility?
Adding a roof would make it look like a like ODR version of Harbour Station. 
Councillor Ogden, if you happen to read this forum, I hope you could consider pushing for funding to put a roof on this public hockey facility so that Canada's oldest city could have at least one proper public outdoor hockey rink for its residents and visitors to enjoy on rainy days, and the coldest days of the winter. Not only would a roof keep rain and snow off the surface, extending the life of the surface, and eliminate DTI's issue with flooding the rink in the winter, a roof will also keep the surface shaded and cooler making it easy to maintain an ice surface without a chiller. Though it would be great to add a chiller when it eventually becomes time to replace the surface.
As this facility sits today, it's fully exposed to 4 seasons of erosion and the freeze thaw cycle of Saint John's wet, snowy, and icy winters. Putting a roof on top of, and a liner on top of the surface to flood the rink in the winter, will only help extend the life of the surface of his valuable hockey facility in Uptown Saint John.
I really admire Barry Ogden as he is one of the few members of the city council that calls for more to be done in terms of rinks and recreation, and a need to compete with the other main cities of New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada. I've never reached out to him before, but I may have to send him an email on this, as I think he could actually get something done and get this recreational asset turned into a year-round facility. Plus, improving a recreational asset nearby will only help exposure of the Marco Polo and this vibrant section of the Uptown Saint John waterfront along the Harbour Passage.
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