The debate over a proposed stand-alone arena south of the Kin Centre is coming back to city council tonight.
Mayor Dan Roger used his powers under the Community Charter to bring a reconsideration motion on the issue before council. Rogers said there are three reasons he is bringing the controversial issue back for further debate.
"Our normal procedure is to do an analysis, prepare a business case - and in this case we haven't done that," Rogers said.
On June 13 city council voted to build the stand-alone arena south of the existing Kin Centre, at a projected cost $22.2 million, instead of rebuilding the Kin 1 arena as planned.
The rebuild of Kin 1 was part of the city's bid package for the 2015 Canada Winter Games and had a projected cost of $15.8 million.
Council also voted to form a working group to look at ways to reduce the cost of the project.
The vague motions approved by council on June 13 also don't provide clarity for city staff or the public, Rogers said.
"There is confusion in the media, community and staff. For some reason people are calling this Kin 4. What council approved is not a Kin 4 arena, it's a stand-alone arena south of the Kin Centre," Rogers said on Sunday. "This allowed me to bring together all the information council needs to make a decision. I have my own views, but I'll express those tommorow night."
Rogers voted against building the stand-alone arena on June 13.
The total cost difference between the two options is $8.5 million, Rogers said, because $2 million in deficiencies in Kin 1 will still have to be addressed.
It will also allow councillors Dave Wilbur and Murry Krause, who missed the June 13 meeting, to participate in the debate, he said.
The Prince George Chamber of Commerce has weighed in on the issue to support the mayor's decision to recall the issue.
Chamber president Gaurav Parmar said the business community is concerned about the possible tax impact.
"There has been no budget for this," Parmar said. "It's either coming from increasing our taxes or increasing our long-term debt. If they increase our taxes it's going to affect everyone."
Parmar said he's concerned the city didn't develop a business plan for the facility before approving it.
The Prince George Exhibition board has also raised concerns about city council's plans for a stand-alone area, but for a different reason.
"The recent direction from council with regards to the addition of a stand-alone Kin Centre at Exhibition Park, whether placed in the rodeo grounds or in the agriculture area displacing barns and other buildings, will have both short and long-term ramifications for several user groups - the PGX is but one - that collectively and actively use those areas," the board said in a written statement. "We encourage city councilors to revisit the actual increase in costs as a result of their recent motion, by considering the potential replacement of facilities and amenities at Exhibition Park used by the more than a dozen other user groups, many of which operate year round."
The board said a committee of Exhibition Park user groups has formed to, "ensure these voices are heard and to guarantee that council is held accountable for their decisions."
One of those groups is the Prince George Reining Horse Association, which held an event at Exhibition Park this weekend.
Association president Rob Kershaw said the society was never consulted or informed about council's plans for the stand-alone arena. If the construction impacts the horse facilities at Exhibition Park, it could have serious negative affects for the association, he said.
Losing any of the current buildings used to accomodate horses would mean they cannot host horse events at the park, he said.
Kershaw said he isn't against a possible new arena, but the other user groups want to have some input on the plans.
"We want to make sure we have a voice at that table."
