The chatter surrounding a third ice surface in Estevan is heating up now that the plebiscite question has been finalized and a third option has been presented. Many of the questions people in the community have boiled down to one word: why?
Tony Sernick was the councillor who brought up the idea of a plebiscite to be added to this year's election ballot. He's hoping to garner feedback from residents on whether they'd support the construction of a third ice surface in Estevan. After the Bienfait Coalfields Memorial Arena Association suggested a collaboration to improve their existing infrastructure, Sernick applauded the idea.
"I like it that. It could be a very possibility. Obviously, a new facility of some sort is going to be a major investment. Would it help alleviate the, you know, the ice time issues? Of course. The upgrades are definitely needed out there. So, it's definitely an option and it'll probably work. But again, we'll just see where it all goes."
Major investment -- both sides of the argument seem to be aligned with those two words. Both Mayor Roy Ludwig and Councillor Shelly Veroba estimated that a project like this would cost between $10-20 million. While costly, Sernick noted that there is a need for a third ice surface.
"The first thing that sticks out in that sense is there are children in Estevan Minor Hockey [Association] that don't even play in Estevan...then again, that comes with the area. It's just orchestrated chaos. [The players] are doing that right now. They're going to Lampman. They're going to Arcola, Bienfait obviously, Torquay, Midale and even into Weyburn."
"Where the issue really comes in is Affinity Place is obviously an arena and convention center and the heartbeat of the community. So if a major event comes in, concert, you know, the curling events we had, the arena was down for three weeks in prime time. Another thing is...hockey, I guess, is really the only sporting event where in the prime time of their hockey season, they kind of get booted out of the arena, if you will. That's just where another ice surface in Estevan or [around] the area would definitely alleviate that challenge that they have."
Many residents will remember that there used to be three ice surfaces in Estevan: Affinity Place, Power Dodge Arena, and the old Civic Auditorium. Opened in 1957, it was the home of the Estevan Bruins for 54 years. A 2017 WSP building condition assessment found several issues that would've cost about $5 million to fix ($6.22 million with inflation-adjusted). The City ordered its demolition in 2018.
"Was all the rinks being utilized at the time? For sure they were. Obviously, ever since the Civic's been taken down, a third rink has been a topic of discussion at Coffee Talk."
Sports like hockey and figure skating are up right now in Estevan, Sernick argued. He noted that broomball as a sport is limited in the city, if not non-existent, due to the lack of space for teams to perform. "Our population may be still 10-11 thousand what it always was, but I think right now we have an influx of parents in there and a lot of 30 to 40-year-olds, you know, with the children. The numbers are up and all the events that utilize the arena."
He expressed that the question on the ballot is non-binding, with the decision being punted to the next council. Regardless of the outcome, Sernick hopes that this plebiscite will drive more voters to the polls, saying that this is also about "increasing votership a little bit and just giving the voters a little something next just to look forward to that day."
Estevan's civic election, which includes the plebiscite on the ballot, is scheduled for November 13.
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