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CITY OF GREATER SUDBURY MULTI-USE RECREATIONAL COMPLEX FEASIBILITY STUDY November 1, 2007 Final Draft Report Table of Contents Section Page 1. Overview 1 1.1 Purpose 1 1.2 Study Process 2 1.3 Background 2 2. Community Context 5 2.1 Demographics 5 2.2 Leisure Trends & Best Practices 10 3. Community Input 18 3.1 Public Meetings 18 3.2 Stakeholder Workshops 19 3.3 Interviews 19 4. Needs Assessment 20 4.1 Review of the City of Greater Sudbury’s Parks, Open Space and Leisure Master Plan (2004) 20 4.2 Indoor Ice 22 4.3 Indoor Turf 28 4.4 Aquatics 31 4.5 Other Indoor Components 33 4.6 Outdoor Playing Fields 37 4.7 Other Outdoor Components 40 5. Proposed Facility Concept 41 5.1 Project Principles 41 5.2 Potential Facility Components 41 6. Capital Cost Estimates 44 6.1 Capital Cost Assumptions & Notes 44 6.2 Indoor Components – Capital Costs 46 6.3 Outdoor Components – Capital Costs 53 6.4 Capital Cost Summary 59 6.5 Capital Cost Requirements for Existing Recreational Facilities 60 6.6 Facility Design Considerations 61 7. Operating Cost Estimates 65 7.1 Community Centre Service Segmentation 65 7.2 Central Services 65 7.3 Arena 67 7.4 Aquatic Centre 70 7.5 Indoor Sports Field (Option 1 – Bubble) 72 7.6 Consolidated Financial Projections 73 7.7 Operating Costs for Existing Recreational Facilities 74 continued… i City of Greater Sudbury – Multi-Use Recreational Complex Feasibility Study November 1, 2007 FINAL DRAFT REPORT Section Page 8. Implementation Options 75 8.1 Management & Partnership Options 75 8.2 Funding Options 76 8.3 Implementation Plan 78 Appendices Appendix A: Public Meeting Summary Appendix B: Stakeholder Workshops Summary LIMITATIONS This report was prepared by Monteith Brown Planning Consultants Ltd., The JF Group, and MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (herein referred to as “the Consulting Team”) for the account of the City of Greater Sudbury. The material in this report reflects the Consulting Team’s best judgment in light of the information available to it at the time of preparation. Any use which a third party makes of this report, or any reliance on or decisions to be made based on it, are the responsibility of such third parties. The Consulting Team accepts no responsibility for damages, if any, suffered by a third party as a result of decisions made or actions based on this report. ii City of Greater Sudbury – Multi-Use Recreational Complex Feasibility Study November 1, 2007 FINAL DRAFT REPORT Section 1 Overview 1.1 Purpose In July 2007, a Consulting Team led by Monteith Brown Planning Consultants was commissioned by the City of Greater Sudbury to provide the Recreational Complex Advisory Panel and City Council with a report of recommendations regarding the feasibility of developing a multi-use recreational complex. The Terms of Reference for this project indicates that: “The program elements of the multi-use recreational complex will be determined based on community and stakeholder consultation. The Feasibility Study will include options for program elements of the recreational facility, including a cost estimate for the construction of the facility, exploration of sources of grant funding, operating costs, and recommendation of potential partners from the private sector to invest in and/operate the facility.” This Feasibility Study is a combination of two preliminary deliverables prepared by the Consulting Team: (1) the Needs Assessment Report; and (2) the Business Plan Report. Both documents were presented to and reviewed by the Advisory Panel prior to the completion of this Feasibility Study. Identified in this report are: • a functional study of facility and space requirements; • cost estimates for constructing the proposed facility; • key design features and considerations; • cost estimates for the annual operation of the facility; and • a review and analysis of funding and partnership strategies to fund the construction and/or operation of the proposed complex. This study is to serve as a resource to the City of Greater Sudbury Council in its decisions pertaining to the proposed complex. Potential implications of a new complex on existing facilities are outside the scope of this Study and would require a more detailed assessment at the appropriate time. As noted in the City’s 2004 Parks, Open Space and Leisure Master Plan, a multi-pad facility was recommended with the knowledge that it would likely impact existing arenas; this impact cannot be fully measured until a new facility is built and is up and operating. Considerable effort was made to ensure that this Study presents accurate data and a comprehensive analysis that is both justifiable and prudent. Above all, it is the objective of this Study to ensure that the proposed facility meets the needs of the community in the most effective and efficient manner possible. 1 City of Greater Sudbury – Multi-Use Recreational Complex Feasibility Study November 1, 2007 FINAL DRAFT REPORT 1.2 Study Process To date, the study process has included extensive discussions with the Mayor, City Councillors, several City Staff from multiple departments, and the Recreational Complex Advisory Panel. Local residents and stakeholders have also been engaged through a public meeting (prior to the retention of the Consulting Team) and three workshops. In addition, background research and analysis into participation trends, demographic forecasts, facility usage, financial data, management and operating approaches in other jurisdictions, and related factors has been undertaken, all of which has provided a foundation upon which to identify recommended facility components, capital and operating costs, and potential management approaches for the proposed Multi-Use Recreational Complex. 1.3 Background The City of Greater Sudbury serves as the regional capital of northeastern Ontario, an area which contains an estimated 550,000 people, including approximately 158,000 people in the City. Greater Sudbury was formed in 2001 through an amalgamation that saw the regional government, 7 lower-tier municipalities, and several unorganized townships become one. With a land area of 3,627 square kilometres, the City is one of the largest in Canada and is nearly two-thirds the size of Prince Edward Island. Indoor recreational facility service levels in the area have generally been in decline since the early 1970s, when most of the area’s facilities were built or still in the early stages of their lifecycles. The most recent new construction project was Countryside Arena in the former City of Sudbury, which was a single pad built in 1993; plans to add a second ice sheet to this facility never materialized. The infrastructure renewal and facility development needs of the City over the next 10 years far outstrip the resources allocated to the City’s Capital Program. In 2004, the City prepared a Parks, Open Space & Leisure Master Plan. This Master Plan examined all aspects of parks and leisure in an effort to address current and future needs in a prioritized, fiscally-responsible, and community-responsive manner. The Plan assessed needs for all parks and facility categories and identified several high priority projects, including the need for a Multi-use Recreation Complex (to be confirmed through a feasibility study – hence this report). At the time, it was recommended that the following facilities be considered for the complex: • two ice pads; • gymnasium; • multi-purpose space (including space for arts and culture); • outdoor soccer and/or football fields; and • possibly an active living centre, indoor pool, library, and/or other potential elements (depending on identified need and feasibility). The recommendation also included a preference for the facility to be located along the LaSalle or Notre Dame corridors and emphasized that partnerships with the private and/or non-profit sectors should be considered in the development and/or operation of the facility. 2 City of Greater Sudbury – Multi-Use Recreational Complex Feasibility Study November 1, 2007 FINAL DRAFT REPORT Other priority capital projects recommended in the 2004 Master Plan – as they relate to the scope of this project – included: • trail development; • parkland acquisition; • adding a second ice pad to Countryside Arena, as well as outdoor play fields; • soccer field development at several sites and through various means (e.g., new fields, lighting existing fields, converting under-utilized ball diamonds); • examination of the need for indoor turf facilities, possibly through the conversion of a surplus arena; • consideration of an outdoor artificial turf field with limited spectator seating; • upgrade the outdoor running track at Laurentian University (note: Laurentian University students have recently elected to build a non-competitive indoor running track and the City has partnered with the school to completely rebuild the outdoor track and field facility, including the all-weather track); and • several permanent skate parks and basketball courts. With the need for a Multi-use Recreational Complex (of some configuration) being apparent, the current City Council has supported this initiative, pending future study. Council is also in the midst of undertaking more detailed study regarding the design and viability of a Performing Arts Centre in the community. Both projects are seen as fundamental to improving the quality of life for all City residents and there is an expectation that both major projects can be made viable. Additional support for the Multi-use Recreational Complex has been provided through the following initiatives: Healthy Community Initiative / RCE Designation In 2004, the City of Greater Sudbury had identified the Healthy Community Initiative as one it its four strategic priorities and appointed an Expert Panel on this matter the following year. The Expert Panel developed a healthy community strategy which focussed on four priorities: (1) active living/healthy lifestyle; (2) natural environment; (3) civic engagement/social capital; and (4) economic growth. A Healthy Community Cabinet was appointed in 2006 to help implement the Healthy Community Strategy.

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