Fort William Gardens future debated at public meeting

Some people in Thunder Bay have big ideas for the the Fort William Gardens.

City hall held a public meeting Wednesday night to discuss its future if the proposed events centre is built.

But not everyone believes the Gardens' time as a spectator facility is finished.

Local business owner Shelby Ch'ng was one of about 70 people who attended the meeting. She said a new facility is needed to host events in Thunder Bay, but she still wants to see the Gardens used in other ways.

“[It could become] an indoor space, but used as an outdoor park,” she said.

“So the same activities you would do in an outdoor park in the summertime, you would do at an indoor space when it's –40 C outside.”

Other ideas people had for the arena included more space for the arts community, housing other sports facilities, and expanding the Farmers' Market.

Folklore Festival organizer Jeanetty Jumah said it should be used for events "that [the] city can afford."

“We can have hockey, and ice skating and we can rent to groups at affordable prices,” she said. 

The festival uses the Gardens and the adjacent curling club for its annual event.

Considering the options

The meeting began with a short tour of the Gardens, followed by a presentation from the planning team.

The planning team consists of three firms: CEI Architecture, Thunder Bay's FORM Architecture Engineering and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Their presentation highlighted what could physically be done with the Gardens. Four scenarios were presented, with each removing a different amount of seating to create varying amounts of available space.  The scenarios ranged from available space of 1,500 square metres to more than 3,700 square metres.

Then the public discussed the options with one another, as well as with the consultants, and brainstormed answers to questions.

Some of the questions posed included whether to keep the Gardens as a spectator facility, whether to demolish the building outright, how much — if any — seating should be kept, as well as other potential uses for the aging facility.

The city pays between $500,000 and $600,000 annually to keep the Gardens open.

Project consultant Conrad Boychuk will be one of the people making the assessment for the city. He said the public meeting was an opportunity for people in Thunder Bay to look at the Gardens’ future in a new way.

"What I want them to say is ... 'We never realized this opportunity was there. For me, a relevant use of that space is this,'” he said.

"It might be sports, it might have nothing to do with sports. It might be private sector activity. We don't know."

‘People need a place to sit’

But the Gardens’ time in its current role is coming to an end, Boychuk said.

“It`s getting pretty darn close.  I don`t want to be sarcastic and say things like life support, but it`s not a good multi-purpose spectator facility.”

Ch'ng added she’d like to see some sort of parking on site so the city can make some money.

 "At the end of the day, I'd really like to see this place still survive and make revenue for the city and not just lose tax dollars."

Jumah agreed.

“I do believe the Fort William Gardens needs to be here if the events centre is built,” she said.

“I think you need the spectators, I think that whether it's hockey, figure skating, Folklore Festival, Taste of Thunder Bay, people need a place to sit."

Gordon Wywrot came to the meeting to see how future plans might affect the Fort William Curling Club. He's on the board of directors for the curling club, which is physically connected to the Gardens.

"It's a good structure, it's still viable and I think [the consultants] were saying how we've got all that floor space, [and] they can use it for certain things,” Wywrot said.

“It's a matter of trying to find the right fit."

No final decisions were made at the meeting, but the public’s input will go into the consultants' report. City administration expects that report to be completed and go before council in March.