Woodstock councillors considering what to do with Civic Centre Arena
City staff say keeping the Civic Centre Arena open will require $1.4 million in short-term repairs, raising questions about how long the 1970-built facility can remain in service as planning advances on a new recreation complex.
A report presented to council outlined the risks of maintaining the single-pad arena, which has faced years of infrastructure issues. The update comes ahead of upcoming capital budget discussions.
The 2021 Recreation Facility Needs Study initially recommended building a single-pad arena at Cowan Fields with room for expansion. But a follow-up study in 2024 concluded that two ice pads would be required from the outset to meet demand, with an indoor pool also recommended either in the first phase or as a future addition.
Because a multi-use recreation complex will be significantly more expensive and take longer to finance, staff cautioned that borrowing to keep the Civic Centre operational poses challenges if the debt outlives the arena’s usefulness.
Meanwhile, preliminary work is underway at the North Woodstock Recreation Facility site, including servicing plans for water, sewer and road connections. The next step will be advancing design drawings from concept to schematic in 2025, which staff say will be crucial to securing grants and sponsorships.
