ARTS CENTRE A GO (Threat to arena??)

[habsfan]

Unless I missed it, I haven’t seen any discussion about this announcement on the forum… Will this have an impact on the proposed arena? Were they not targeting the same location?


ARTS CENTRE A GO

Posted By MONIQUE BEECH , STANDARD STAFF

Posted 2 days ago


Jubilant local politicians announced $54 million in funding Friday morning to build a downtown performing arts complex in St. Catharines that's being hailed as key to revitalizing the city's ailing core and boosting the economy.
The federal and provincial governments pledged a combined $36 million, with another $18 million coming from the City of St. Catharines to construct the Niagara Centre for the Arts by 2012. Securing cash from Ottawa and Queen's Park was key to the project, which is expected to break ground next year.
Officials say the arts complex will create thousands of jobs during construction and after it opens, and make the city a cultural hub in Niagara.
St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan called the performing arts centre a cornerstone of a plan to pump life back into the city's struggling downtown.
"There's been talk in this community for many years about revitalizing downtown," McMullan told the crowd gathered for a news conference in the lower-level parking lot below St. Paul Street.
"That has left some people skeptical when it comes to plans for our downtown core. This time we have a plan for downtown to turn it into the
thriving city centre that we want -- a place where people can live, work and play."
"This project is the first step in that plan," McMullan said.
The arts centre will be located next to and run jointly with Brock University's Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.
The school, which will house about 600 students and 50 faculty, will be located in the former Canada Hair Cloth Building in the lower-level parking lot.


Brock's Centre for the Arts and all the performances that happen there will be moved downtown to the arts complex, which will feature a 800-to 900- seat theatre, dance hall, film theatre and recital hall.

The next step for the city and Brock is to hire an architect to design the complex, which is expected to cost about $101 million, Brock president Jack Lightstone said.
The university is counting on money from a large ongoing capital fundraising campaign, cash from the province and $15 million donated by Marilyn Walker to cover its share of the cost, Lightstone said.
The university has the experience to make the centre sustainable and a success, as well the critical mass of people to boost business downtown, Lightstone said.
"That's going to have an amazing effect on downtown, another 500 people who are here all day everyday needing the services, needing food. That's the whole idea here is to get more density down here..."
Driving the economy is what made the project a winner for the federal government, St. Catharines MP Rick Dykstra said.
"It's good news about jobs," Dykstra said.
"It's good news about our local economy. I believe at the very heart of what we speak, it's good for the very spirit of our city."
The arts centre is the kind of project that will transform the Garden City, said St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley, who called it a great example of what can be accomplished when all levels of government work together.
"I know this will be a welcome catalyst for change and encourage new development within our city's downtown," Bradley said.
McMullan said the arts centre has already sparked interest among developers looking to invest in the core.
The exact footprint of the building has yet to be decided, the mayor said.
But the centre will have an entrance off St. Paul Street, which means the city might need to buy or expropriate businesses on the street near Carlisle Street.
The city's arts community hailed the funding announcement as a boon to all local cultural organizations.
"We're enthused about the idea that people can come downtown and visit the Niagara Centre for the Arts, then also discover some of the other smaller organizations and theatre groups that dot the downtown," said Steve Remus, director of programming and operations for the Niagara Artists' Centre on St. Paul Street.
"It makes the whole community alive and functioning."
- - -
Facts about the NiagaraCentre for the Arts
What it will include:
800-to 900-seat concert hall
200-to 250-seat dance venue, also suitable for theatre and music events, and a 125-seat community theatre (combined in one building)
200-seat film theatre with an extensive schedule of first-run and revival film programming
250-to 300-seat recital hall
main lobby and cafe for popular music and cabaret
What it will cost:
$54 million split three ways between Ottawa, Queen's Park and the City of St. Catharines. Money from the province and federal governments comes from the 2008 Building Canada Plan Framework Agreement, which resulted in $6 billion for infrastructure in Ontario
The city already has the money from a combination of sources including reserves, $6.5 million in recent bonus cash from the province, and hydro dividend cash
Projected economic benefits for St. Catharines/Niagara:
$7.4 million per year and total direct and indirect economic spin-off of $17.3 million
Operating costs:
Niagara Centre for the Arts is expected to cost about $4.5 million per year to run
One-third ($1.5 million) will come from contributed sources (including St. Catharines taxpayers and Brock University) as well as donors, other government sources and eventually proceeds from an operating endowment
One-time start-up cost of $1.3 million expected, plus creation of a capital reserve fund.
Source:City of St. Catharines

Article ID# 1581137

[AlphaDog]

re:

will be located in the former Canada Hair Cloth Building in the lower-level parking lot.

It's going to use that big brick building which is away from what I believe will be the proposed arena site.

It could work out to benefit the arena as with 2 new large buildings in that area, maybe a multi-level parking lot could be constructed and shared between the 2 venues.

[Alpha 1]

This will have no impact on the proposed arena. This project has been on the books for about a year now; I've actually been waiting for the go ahead on this. My job relies on construction projects. As for the arena; I can say this one of the 4 contractors on the short list, is a good account of mine; he desperately wants this to go ahead. I can't say the contractor's name, but I will say they want to do this, and he thinks it is very viable. As I get more info from him I will post.

[habsfan]

Originally Posted by AlphaDog

re:


It's going to use that big brick building which is away from what I believe will be the proposed arena site.

It could work out to benefit the arena as with 2 new large buildings in that area, maybe a multi-level parking lot could be constructed and shared between the 2 venues.

Originally Posted by habsfan

The arts centre will be located next to and run jointly with Brock University's Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.
The school, which will house about 600 students and 50 faculty, will be located in the former Canada Hair Cloth Building in the lower-level parking lot.

I'm reading that the "school" will be in the old building, and that the "art centre" will be built beside it...

So does this leave any room for an arena?? Someone (AD?) in an earlier thread had overlayed an aerial view of an arena in the lower level lot and it seemed like a pretty tight squeeze, assuming they had the entire lot...

Don't get me wrong, I think it would be a wonderful thing if both could be built there, but I'm not sure about the room...

[AlphaDog]

Originally Posted by habsfan

I'm reading that the "school" will be in the old building, and that the "art centre" will be built beside it...

Aah.. I thought they were all inside that building that's already there and they were just going to re-do the whole thing. I don't have a good mind's eye picture of that whole area right now, but I would think there's still tons of room for a new arts building and a rink (and parking lot). Ok, 'grabbed a GoogleEarth image.

This is just what I'm guessing - I'd actually PREFER to have the arena where the current parking lot is - more in the middle - and have the parking below it (in the image) :

[Canuck311]

there will be no new arena ... for the ice dogs in st catharines.

Originally Posted by Canuck311

there will be no new arena ... for the ice dogs in st catharines.

wow.....someone should tell the four groups bidding on the project.
McMullen said in one article in the paper that this is the first step in the downtown revitalization. They even have plans for the current arena site. Why go public with those plans if you aren't confident you'll have something to replace it.
Plans for a new spectator facility in the lower-level parking lot to replace Jack Gatecliff Arena are still in the works, McMullan said. Residential highrises could be built at the old arena site, he added.
full article http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/A...aspx?e=1581133

[conchar]

Originally Posted by Canuck311

there will be no new arena ... for the ice dogs in st catharines.

Thank you for your optimism...however I will continue to focus on the fact that getting a new arena is still very much under consideration and until the powers that be say NO!!! then I will maintain the glimmer of hope that most of us Ice Dogs fans hold dear to our hearts.

[rowdi29]

Here we go... someone made a comment that may get things stirred up in here...I love it...Who wants to go in on a private box with me and we can wave at the nay-sayers

[AlphaDog]

Originally Posted by rowdi29

Here we go... someone made a comment that may get things stirred up in here...I love it...Who wants to go in on a private box with me and we can wave at the nay-sayers

I vote we get 20 people together and each throw in a hundred bucks (or whatever it will cost for a box) and get an IceDogFans.com box Share it for different weeknight games, and give it to kids in less-income families for weekend games I think it would be great if we could use the "power in numbers" concept to do something good for charity.