My Way

Can you give us the figures on how much the rink was originally promised to cost when council voted to go ahead with the project as well as the current budget for the project?

I, as a hockey player, think this is a joke. Downgrade to one arena? Lets think about the future here not about the present. At his very moment all the rinks are booked and are rather expensive to book, adding these 3 new spots will certainly open up spaces as well as decrease the price. Sure the new arena may have an empty ice time 2-3 times a day but lets think about the future here. As the bookings go up these spots will be taken away quickly.

John, perhaps you're right as to the need (I have no idea myself, since I don't play hockey) - but rather than just saying "yes" because things are booked up elsewhere, you need to take that into account and make a balanced descision. This thing is REALLY expensive - is it really worth it?

Steve, your decision. (Examples) If we build it now it cost 3 million. If we build it later, it costs $5 million. Seeing how the hockey community will be itching for more ice time and more arena's when the current buildings are finished being built, id prefer now. Just my 2 cents

But why do my tax dollars pay for something the "hockey community" wants? If hockey is that popular, why aren't there viable private/commercial projects to meet their needs?

I remember when the field house was constructed at UPEI. The local track and field assoc was excited because in the works was a great indoor track, where Maritime events could be hosted in winter, and offered a great training asset to local athletes. Now, hockey sticks and pucks were not involved, so the project was reconsidered. After budget cuts and reconsidering by those in charge, we were left with a 2 lane, flat circle that is not even good enough for short-track grocery cart races.Budget decisions regarding the civic center resulted in laughable designs that were criticised from the start.

I would like to see good decisions made, with concerns for other sports then just hockey. Then, maybe we can start on convincing the sports media to start looking at something other then just hockey in the winter.

Steven,

Why should my tax dollars pay for sidewalks that I never walk on, something that the "pedestrian community" wants? If walking is so popular why aren't there private/commercial projects to meet their needs? Couldn't we get McDonalds to slap down some golden arches on sidewalk paths leading to their restaurant and have them pay up for the right?

Are there any projections on what the future demand for ice time will be?

Given current demographic trends, I highly doubt demand will grow significantly, at least for playing hockey. How much use is expected by various age groups? If the population continues to age, what happens? Unless I'm missing something big, I suspect demand will go down.

There are however other issues that could complicate the decision. What are the scheduled maintenance costs for the next 10 years for the other rinks? Can we build a new rink so that is it more energy efficient? New refrigeration equipment is so energy efficient it usually pays for itself in 1-2 years. We should also consider retrofitting old rinks to see what happens to maintenance costs.

If two rinks are built in one location, might Charlottetown host more events, and if so, what would the job/tax revenue consequences be? Could more people going to UPEI make some public transport possible? (I'm sure a lot of students/hockey moms might like that idea). Could a rink be shut down, and if so which one, and what would be done with the land?

The current level of discussion is childish. If we allow this to be a hockey-player vs. non-hockey player debate, we're missing the big picture.

Should my tax dollars continue be used to support the health care of someone who does nothing to take care of their own health, like an occasional stroll on a sidewalk? My social conscience says yes.

Should drug makers be asked to pay for hospitals so we can continue health care instead of allowing governments to continue to erode the service? My social conscience says no.

My beef with this project, costs aside, are as follows:

1) Location - If this is to be truly a City/CARI-owned facility then it should have been placed on some other location, perhaps as part of the Civic Centre/CDP, or maybe on the farm, at the corner of Mt. Edward/Allen, leaving the majority of the farm uninterupted.

2) Facilities - 2 hockey rinks are not necessary as we only need to replace the UPEI rink which was demolished. If this had been built off-campus, then UPEI could build their own new rink/pool as part of the Young Centre if they so desired, at no cost to city taxpayers. As for the City/CARI pool - it's a joke. This should have been a 50-metre, split-centre olympic size pool. 2 25-metre pools might be easier to heat by leaving one unused, but in the long run, competitive swimming events require 50-m along with a dive tank.

3) Aesthetics - In keeping with most recent construction on the UPEI campus, the new City/CARI facility looks HORRIBLE. The architects obviously could not see beyond the ends of their noses at how this building overwhelms the landscape and resembles a shopping mall. It's pretty unfortunate that UPEI only recently announced their intention to come up with a campus plan, following Acadia, Mt. A., St. F.X., and UNB. UPEI should have built all buildings since 1969 in the same beautiful architectural style of the old St. Dunstans centre-campus. As a result, the entire campus is a mismash of buildings outside this core which look plain ugly: Blanchard/Marion/Duffy/Robertson/Murphy/Young buildings are all horrible to look at. The paving of MacAdam field is a tragedy and placing mobiles behind the heating plant is laughable. Where is the NRC building supposed to go, and will this be just as ugly as the rest of the post-1969 construction? UPE shouldn't fall into the trap UNB did with letting NRC build an on-campus building that doesn't fit in. The only modern building which is striking/interesting is the AVC, everything else is a waste of money, including the rink/pool complex

4) Overall poor planning around UPEI - The city really dropped the ball on this one in the past decade by letting the horrible/ugly developments at Brown's Court and along University Avenue. Why didn't the city just encourage the university/province to build more quality apartment-style residences, than let developers build those awful townhouses? Given the poor construction quality of these developments, the city will pay a steep price for this in 25-50 years when this area becomes a low-income ghetto with these buildings starting to fall apart, drugs and crime being rampant, and this will all be within view of the primary route into the city. No trees, horrible roadway planning on University Avenue - it will all hurt Charlottetown in the end. Also, why can't the city/province do something to remove those houses and the Subway/old A&W at the corner of Belvedere/University to make sure UPEI owns the entire block? I shudder to think about what other ugly developments will be permitted on the opposite corner from Burger King - why not plant some trees and get those fields buffered from the roads?

5) University Avenue - This is without a doubt, one of the ugliest streets in Atlantic Canada - it ranks up there with Prospect St. in Fredericton, Commercial St. in New Minas, Mountain Rd. in Moncton, Kempt Rd. in Halifax, Rothesay Ave. in Saint John, Kenmount Rd. in St. John's.... Why doesn't Charlottetown and the province step in and start forcing development changes? Get mature trees planted, set back properly, along the ENTIRE street. Put sidewalks on both sides. Make it 4 lanes but put a central dividing median, perhaps with rose bushes similar to Dunbrack St. in Halifax, or plant shade trees on the median. BURY POWER LINES. Force businesses to not use neon signs - Quebec City and other areas do, why can't Charlottetown? Sure developers will cry foul - who cares? - once everything is aesthetically improved and businesses are in conformity, the street will be efficient for traffic, be pedestrian friendly, and it will attract rather than detract from the city.

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In short, the CARI/City pool complex was located poorly, designed poorly facilities and aesthetics-wise, the city should have come up with an overall plan for the entire area surrounding or even including the campus and University Avenue as a whole. The City, in my opinion, will look like a laughing-stock for these oversights, and unfortunately taxpayers will be on the hook. Oh, and CUPE/city workers should really buzz-off about wanting to control work in there. They have zero claim so stop wasting your money on that website folks. That building is expensive enough without having to pay janitors $20/hour. Taxpayers will be paying enough for the construction costs, let alone operating costs, for a long time to come.