Memorial Centre Ignored Too Long

I don’t understand why it takes so long for a community to rally behind a worthy cause like restoring the M Centre. For too many years this facility has been ignored and what you see today is a grand old ice palace crying for attention. What a shame, the M Centre with all the memories and glory days getting this kind of treatment.

The analogy you could use is the FRAM oil filter commercial “you can pay me now, or you can pay me later”. Well Kingston it’s time to pay up because it seems like we are going to throw away the car and buy a new one. Yes, we have a classic but why restore it when we can borrow the money and build a new one? Kitchener-Waterloo restored their facility and so did Peterborough. I think Belleville is investigating the merit of expanding their facility too.

There’s hardly a bad seat in the house for any event, famous entertainers played there and great names in sport started their professional careers in this palace. We all know the acoustics are poor, the seats are old, the dressing rooms too small, the heating and electrical need to be upgraded and so forth.

There was an interim study completed in 1999 (no cost to the taxpayer) that concluded the city could gut and completely renovate the M Centre for approximately 10 million dollars realizing a 4,000 seat stadium. The spin off effect included infrastructure improvements to local arterial and collector roads, alternative uses for the Hockey Hall of Fame Building, development of the commercially zoned strip along Alfred St, improved park usage and on site parking. Unfortunately this study never made it to City Council.

Culture, Parks and Recreation does not have a direct voice to City Council and information to elected members is through a senior level bureaucracy. I believe there is merit in a commissioner level position headed by a professional in this field that knows the community, understands the complexities of this specialized business and has the opportunity to work directly with City Council - without question an organizational improvement in effectiveness and efficiencies. Now we are turning our attention to a four pad at the M Centre. Maybe [it's] a step in the right direction. I don’t buy the argument the Wally Elmer Arena is in better condition than the other three rinks proposed for closure. There are three districts in this municipality that need consideration along with the communities in these districts.

The Williamsburgh District has rallied to save the M Centre and at a minimum I would suggest they deserve a comparison review of the downtown site and the existing site. I am not suggesting we abandon the study for a new centre because in the last election we certainly voted to see something done.

David A. Morgan,
Kingston
(submitted to the Whig, not as yet published)