A big part of this assessment involves community consultation. The public consultation, scheduled for completion by June 30, will involve a public meeting, community focus groups and an online survey.
There has already been public consultation on the matter. Last October more than 30 community leaders and group representatives met at the Mariners Centre to discuss future potential uses. The meeting ended in a lengthy wish list, with the two most prominent items being an aquatic centre and a curling rink. When it comes to an aquatic facility, it is felt the area is being underserved by the existing pool at the YMCA since there is no opportunity for expansion there, says Mariners Centre manager Gil Dares about the discussion that took place last fall. On the curling side of things, there is concern over the age of the existing curling club in Yarmouth, he said.
Representatives from the YMCA, Yarmouth Whitecaps swim team and the Yarmouth Curling Association were among those at last fall’s meeting to provide input.
“The last thing we would want to do is negatively impact an existing facility,” says Dares. “I know absolutely nothing about running a curling program or a swim program. For curling we would consider that the curling association would still run the club. All we would be doing is providing the physical plant for them.”
He says other facilities that have incorporated an aquatic centre often see them run by the local YMCA.
But just because these are some of the items that have been identified as possibilities for an expansion at the Mariners Centre, it doesn’t mean they’re a given.
That’s where a needs assessment comes in to identify what is needed in the community and how might the Mariners Centre factor into this.
The needs assessment study will be carried out by dmA Planning and Management Services Inc. The study will explore opportunities for further development and improvement of the existing facilities as well as suggestions for an expansion.
The needs assessment study will cost $28,000. Fifty per cent of the funding is coming from the Department of Health and Wellness. The other half is being split between the town and municipality of Yarmouth, who are the owners of the Mariners Centre.
Dares says the reason behind this whole exercise is because the Mariners Centre’s management board was tasked by the owners to provide a long-term plan for the property.
“The way we started that was by hosting a meeting and bringing people and asking: Where do we see the Mariners Centre in five or 10 years? And what would you like to see here?” Dares says.
Dares notes there are already identified shortcomings of the facility. The small lobby design, for instance, makes things very congested when hockey teams are coming in and out of the arenas during peak ice usage times. And things get further congested on Mariners junior A game nights when you have more than 1,000 people coming in and out of the building at the same time that ticket sales are also ongoing.
“When I talked to the people from Queens when they were doing their planning (for a new arena) I said don’t make the same mistakes we did,” Dares says. “I preached to them, make sure your lobby is large enough to accommodate everything you need it to do.
“So that would be part of the expansion, to include a plan for how do we make the lobby bigger? Do we reconfigure our roadway?
Do we add 15 feet to the front of Arena 2 and expand the lobby? That’s all on the table.”
After the needs assessment there will be a next step – this being to look at the feasibility of what’s been identified. Is it sustainable? Is it affordable? Where would funding come from? Dares says ACOA has already indicated it would be willing to partner in a feasibility study.
Dares says none of this is an overnight process.
“We formed Skate Yarmouth in 1995 and we opened the doors here at the Mariners Centre in 2001 at the end of the year, so almost seven years later,” he says. “I’m not suggesting we’re going to be laying out a foundation in the next 12 months. This is a long-term plan, but you’ve got to start somewhere. By doing this all of the information that you need will be at your fingertips when it’s time to move things forward.”