My way-back machine was activated after a recent presentation to city council on expanding Barrie’s Sadlon Arena.
The former Barrie Molson Centre (BMC) opened in late 1995 and has been home to the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts through thick and thin with the team and its fans.
But one sticking point remains: Why only 4,200 seats for hockey?
Of the six expansion plan options councillors heard during last week's presentation, four included increasing seat capacity — in two options to 4,780 seats, one to 4,830 and the last to 5,410.
Sure, construction costs ranging from $12.3 million to $43.5 million also caught the eye.
Where, oh where, will that money come from if this council ever decides to go ahead with the expansion? Nothing has been approved yet, it’s worth noting.
But why wasn’t the arena built bigger, in terms of seat capacity, in the beginning? Then Barrie could make serious bids for events like the Memorial Cup, the Canadian Hockey League championship. Or the Brier, which is the annual national curling championship?
These events inject millions of dollars in local economies — at motels, restaurants, shopping malls, gas stations, etc.
How can Barrie compete against Ottawa and London, for example, which boast rinks that can seat 9,000 to 10,000 fans?
How did Barrie end up with just 4,200 seats?
Politics, of course, and not just by the politicians.
During the first month of 1994, Barrie city council considered a proposal to build a 4,200-seat, $13-million arena on the northwest corner of Bayview Drive and Molson Park Drive, on property owned by Molson Breweries. Naming rights would be traded for the land.
Initially, $8.9 million was the city’s share, and the other $4.1 million would come from the sale of suites, club seats and corporate sponsorship.
Barrie councillors seemed lukewarm to the idea, especially the city’s share of the cost.
And then the funding structure changed, with the arena becoming a federal infrastructure project — funded equally by the feds, the province and Barrie itself.
The city was due about $12 million during the next two years in infrastructure funding and the new rink would need to gobble up about $7.5 million — leaving $4.5 million for all of the other projects on the city’s wish list.
But politics were being played in all quarters on this issue and councillors began to feel the screws tightening.
Barrie’s OHL team was confirmed for the 1995-96 season, conditional upon a new arena being built.
City council then approved a new $12.4-million arena and a new $6.7-million public library in downtown Barrie as the city's two projects under the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program.
That was good news for the hockey and skating community, as well as library lovers, but it also meant no funding for any of the 16 other projects on city council’s wish list.
Arguments were made at the time that 4,200 seats weren't enough, that the rink had to seat at least 6,000 for hockey to attract events like the Memorial Cup.
But it was also apparent that a larger arena would leave little — if any — money for a new library. City officials later said the final tab for the south-end arena was $15 million.
So there you have it. Barrie’s new arena was built with only 4,200 seats so the downtown could have a new library — as the current MacLaren Art Centre, its previous home on Mulcaster Street, was deemed too small.
There were some people at the time who said 4,200 seats wasn’t enough.
I believe former councillor Dave Aspden said this, and obviously wasn’t listened to by the majority of council.
But communities need libraries, too.
Hockey might be Canada’s (unofficial) national sport, one of the few things that still actually unites the country, but it’s not the be-all and end-all for everyone.
That Barrie now has three library branches — Painswick and Holly have also been added — says something, too.
Lest anyone think this doesn’t affect them, however, think again.
Sadlon Arena has a budgeted $510,000 deficit this year, even with the Colts and some other events there, such as trade shows. Barrie taxpayers foot that bill.
But an expanded facility might help slice into that deficit if the city is willing to make the investment — be it $12.3 million, $43.5 million or some figure in between.
Travelling in the way-back machine doesn’t always work, of course, when you’re looking for reasons to do — or not to do — something.
As Coun. Bryn Hamilton said during the recent presentation, a new performing arts centre and two more recreation centres are already in the city’s capital spending queue. She could have also mentioned Barrie’s expected multi-million-dollar contribution to the next Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) expansion.
So what made sense then doesn’t always make sense now.
Except that 4,200 seats still isn’t enough for Barrie’s hockey barn.
Bob Bruton covers city council for BarrieToday, but finds trips in the way-back machine often add much-needed perspective to the matters at hand.
