No decision on increased funding request for U of S ice rink project
CBC News | Posted: January 9, 2017 6:52 PM | Last Updated: January 9, 2017
Home Ice campaign wants city to increase its $1M contribution
A city planning committee wants more information from the Home Ice campaign before it decides whether to increase its contribution to a twin ice rink at the University of Saskatchewan.
Councillors from the planning, development and community services committee questioned speakers from the campaign at its meeting at city hall on Monday morning.
The fundraising campaign is gathering money for a new twin rink ice hockey facility at the University of Saskatchewan.
Merlis Belsher Place will be used by the U of S Huskies and Saskatoon Minor Hockey, and for public skating time for the citizens of Saskatoon.
In April, the City of Saskatoon agreed to pay $1 million towards the $41 million project. In return, Saskatoon citizens would receive 1,500 hours of skating per year.
Now, the campaign is asking for a bigger contribution because it says the benefit to the community will be greater than the $1 million the city has already agreed upon.
More information needed: councillors
Councillors at today's meeting asked the campaign to provide more information about its funding requests to federal and provincial governments.
The committee also wanted more detail on how the project would benefit community groups and winter sports other than hockey.
Speakers from the Home Ice campaign assured the committee the community rink would lead to a huge improvement, saying the new rink would free up ice time at existing facilities.
The campaign agreed to provide the requested information to the committee before its next meeting on Jan. 30.