It’s been a little more than six weeks since Estevan city council voted in favour of closing the Civic Auditorium indefinitely, but for many in our community, it seems like a much longer delay than that.
But it appears that this issue has been given some closure, at least for now.
Estevan city council has voted in favour of keeping the Civic open for the duration of the ice sports season, as long as a report from a local insurance company is favourable. That report is expected this week or next week.
Nobody should have been surprised that there was a significant outcry to the Civic’s closure. For some people in our community, there is a strong emotional attachment to the 60-year-old arena.
But more importantly, the sudden loss of a third ice sheet in the community created problems for some in the community. The Estevan Minor Hockey Association has been particularly vocal about the loss of the Civic and their desire to keep it open.
The flip side is there is also a strong contingent of people who believe the Civic should be closed for good. They argue the city should proceed with a new third ice surface, but only if it makes fiscal sense. If it doesn’t, then Estevan should have just two arenas.
There is also an appetite to have a field house constructed in favour of a third arena.
For whatever reason, the group that wanted the Civic closed has been largely silent over the last six weeks. They haven’t attended council meetings, posted on social media, written letters to the editor or voiced their thoughts publicly.
We hope that city council made the right move by keeping the Civic Auditorium open. We hope that it will make it through the season, and it might even have a few more years left in it.
Whether it has a few months, or a few years, likely won’t be known until after the current ice sports season is finished.
But at least the decision to keep the arena open through the end of the season gives council time to make a decision on the building’s future, and whether it should look at a third arena.
It would also give user groups the three arenas they covet for the duration of the season, and it would give them the ice surface they need in a few weeks, when the SaskTel Tankard rolls into town.
The city would have had a hard time operating with just one arena for two to three weeks during the Tankard.
At the same time, people need to realize that the Civic’s days are numbered. There’s a reason why you don’t see many 60-year-old arenas out there, particularly ones that have had as much usage as the Civic over the last few years.
Spending big money on the mechanical and electrical components of the arena doesn’t make sense, either.
So hopefully people won’t complain in January and February if it’s -30 C outside, and frigid inside the Civic. You might not like it, but if you think you’re getting lots of taxpayer dollars spent on heating for a 60-year-old arena, then you’re asking a little too much.
But a cold third arena beats having two arenas, right?
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