WINDSOR, N.S. - Windsor council has a little more time to fundraise for it’s new hockey arena project at Long Pond.
During the town council meeting on March 28, 2018, Chief Administrative Officer Louis Coutinho informed members of council that they have until September, 2018 to fundraise approximately $2.2 million towards the arena project, which he said is an achievable goal.
Following the meeting, Mayor Anna Allen said their application will be submitted to the provincial and federal governments for funding once “we have our business case, our fundraising commitments and any revisions to our concept plan are made to ensure that we build something for the community that is the right size, that is affordable and that is not a burden on the tax payer.”
The project is estimated to cost $12.5 million, but that cost could be higher or lower, as the project continues to move forward.
“Clearly, the faster we get our application in, the earlier the opportunity to receive approvals to put the project out to tender, etc.” Allen said.
Who could pay for it?
If the project comes in at $12.5 million dollar project excluding HST, and if each party's share is 33.3%, or approximately $4.2 million from each of the levels of government, then some questions remain.
The Town of Windsor has committed $1 Million and West Hants committed $1 million over five years. Add a $2.2 million fundraising goal and that will bring the municipal level contribution to $4.2 million.
Where the extra $1.2 million from the province is coming from is unknown at this point.
Also federal funding approval is not guaranteed.
The CAO said they’ve been working with a liaison to help the town navigate the bureaucracy between the provincial and federal government and helps to advance projects through the Small Communities Fund.
Councillor Shelley Bibby said one resident of the town, a hockey mom who did not want to be named, has received over $20,000 in pledges so far towards the arena.
“She took it upon herself because she’s very supportive of us moving forward and managed to come up with names and amounts of $20,600 in pledges in five days,” Bibby said. “I think there’s momentum there, it was very heartwarming.”
The Valley Journal-Advertiser has not independently confirmed this detail.
Read More:
$12.5 million hockey facility pitched to Windsor residents
Windsor council ignores final plea to reconsider Long Pond location
Editorial: Windsor's arena project far cry from shrine to hockey
Amalgamation application intact for now
Councillor Jim Ivey's earlier motion to to cease and close off the town’s relationship with the Avon Region Citizens Coalition (ARC) and withdraw from the Town of Windsor’s amalgamation application was defeated, 4 to 1.
The motion was tabled previously by Deputy Mayor Laurie Murley because she had questions that she wanted answers to first, before looking into it further, including a response to queries to the Minister of Municipal Affairs on a potential Municipal Modernization pilot project.
Councillor John Bregante also said he wanted to wait and see what the UARB’s response would be to both ARC and West Hants, following recent correspondence.
before the vote Ivey argued again that the application should be dropped, saying that the province is no longer interested in forced amalgamations.
“My stance is we’re better off working with them as a group without the being tied together with the UARB, and working collectively on a more regional approach,” Ivey said.
Mayor Anna Allen said she wants something she can move forward with confidently.
“I’m not ready to ignore 2,600 signatures and I’m not ready to ignore a group (ARC) that has worked and is very dedicated to this,” Allen said. “I want to wait until we get the information we need and then make a rational decision based on that."
