Quote:
Originally Posted by phil235
I wonder about that. Sandy Hill Arena is quite a nice arena. It’s not new, but it’s not a tear down like Brewer. The Minto pads are busy, but I wouldn’t have thought that the school needed another pad.
Any chance that Sandy Hill would stay, and the new facility would be in front of it, or integrated with it?
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I do not think so. As the university prez said, they are looking to build "substantive, big sporting" facilities. I doubt they could build such large facilities around the SH Arena. The arena is sort of in the center of the desired space.
I am not sure that the old arena is so great. I have heard that the ice plant is old and inefficient, that the insulation is below standard. In other words ,it is an expensive energy guzzler. It is single pad, Some years ago the City said any future rinks should be double or multi pad. It is a more efficient way to go.
Plus, the City does not own the land the arena and parking lot is on. The NCC does. They will be big players in deciding what happens.
The university makes money from the two ice pads in the Minto sports Complex--from rentals. The former Athletic Director made so much that he paid off the mortage on the building years earlier than scheduled. Plus he saved up 5 million dollars to put toward the start of building Gee-Gees Field. The Winter Dome at Gee-Gees Field, cost 1.5 million dollars and also makes a lot of money for the sport department from rentals. A third,or fourth ice pad could be a big money maker for them, particularly if SH arena disappears. The demand for ice time in Ottawa seems to be insatiable.