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Residents weigh in on Oakville Arena's redevelopment by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 3 | Thursday, March 13, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Residents packed into the Kinsmen Pine Room in Oakville Arena last Thursday (March 6) to weigh in their opinion on the future of local facility. The Town hosted a public meeting to gather input as it considers changes that could transform the face of the area. In presenting an overview of the project, Town Recreation Services Senior Manager Michael Brennan explained why it's necessary to develop a renewal or replacement plan for the 133 Rebecca St. arena rather than just fixing what was crucial. "The reality is, as I've referenced, many of the mechanical systems in the building are failing," he said. "It has served us extremely well for 60 years, but we're really at a point where we need to do something significant for it." Showing pictures of the arena in its current state, Brennan noted how the compressors that create ice are well beyond their life expectancy, having been purchased in the 1980s. The foundation in a number of areas is crum- bling, dressing rooms aren't of the size people are accustomed to these days and the showers are "rustic," he continued. Although an engineer that inspects the facility annually has said it's safe, Brennan added it's important to address these issues now. Four designs presented ZAS Architect Inc. presented residents with four design options that incorporate the community's desire to keep the arena, the Kinsmen Pine Room and the outdoor pool and sports fields at Trafalgar Park as a community hub. The firm, which was hired by the Town last summer on the direction of Town council, created architectural design concepts for the arena site based on two options: renovate and refurbish the existing Oakville Arena or tear down the existing facility and construct a new one. Originally, Town staff recommended closing the arena in a Master Plan technical report in 2011 because of its age and condition. However, when the community was consulted, strong support for keeping the facility within southwest Oakville steered the Town to look at redeveloping the area to fulfill the recreational needs of residents. Option one proposes to revitalize the arena by keeping the existing structure and its existing ice surface of 83' x 183'. A second option suggests to add a new structure on top of the existing roof, which is one of only four known surviving arenas in Ontario that have a Hipel truss roof system, named after engineer Norman Hipel who was in charge of the construction. The latter also has proposes having a National Hockey League (NHL)-sized ice surface of 85' x 200'. Option three proposes demolishing the existing arena and building a new one tucked into the park, while a fourth option puts forward demolishing the existing arena and building a new one in its place. Both options would have an NHL-sized ice surface. Marek Zawadzki, ZAS Architect's senior principal, said all of the options would reduce the seating capacity from its current 1,100 seats to 450 to be more in line with the community's use. It would maintain most of the amenities that already exist while incorporating a new steel-framed gymnasium, a walking track, office space and a viewing area. A new senior's centre has also been added to each design option to accommodate the Oakville Senior Citizen Recreation Centre at 263 Kerr St. because it has outgrown its facility and needs more access to space and modern amenities, said Brennan. Residents hear from architects Residents also heard from E.R.A. Architects Inc. principal Edwin Rowse, who conducted an assessment of the cultural heritage value of the arena within the community. He explained how the arena has "great historical value" being a hub for the community to gather since it opened in 1951. It reflects the work of Hipel, who is known for the truss roof system, said Rowse. "What's intriguing about the truss is it's very much in the spirit of our own times of sustainability -- built out of modest pieces of wood put together to create an extraordinary truss to expand a large space," he explained. "I think we should be very aware of that, that it's part of its (the arena's) glory." The facility is also a "landmark" building within Trafalgar Park and has played a key role in the history of activity of the park, continued Rowse. see Some on p.11 THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO DESIGN YOUR DREAM AYA KITCHEN AYA KITCHENS OF OAKVILLE · 1195 North Service Road West AyAoakville.com · 905.847.1522 289-644-2464