Prince George's amateur hockey organizations are calling on city council to consider constructing a new arena for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
Delegates from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association and Prince George Recreational Hockey League met with city council on Monday. Prince George Recreational Hockey League president Al Hines said the city's own reports show 100 per cent of peak ice time and almost 90 per cent of non-peak ice time.
"Every year we have to turn three or four teams away, because there isn't ice time," Hines said. "Right now there is absolutely no opportunity for new groups or for existing groups to expand."
Every time the city has built an arena, users have filled them, he said.
"The chances of having this opportunity with this kind of money in play will not happen again for a long time," Hines said.
Prince George Minor Hockey Association president Scott Bilbrough said the hockey associations have been supported in their request by 12 other hockey, ringette and skating organizations.
The current plan to demolish and replace the Kin 1 arena in the Kin Centre could result in two years of lost ice time, Bilbrough said. Demolition is slated for 2012, according to city staff.
Council voted to conduct a cost analysis of renovating the current arena compared to constructing a new arena.
:My concern is we submitted a bid based on a certain set of infrastucture," Coun. Dave Wilbur said. "[And] if we're going to keep Kin 1, there are some things we need to irregardless of the new construction."
Coun. Don Bassermann said the city does need to consider the long-term costs associated with another arena, and how quickly plans can be changed.
"It's not 2015 that we're targetting, it's the test events that have to happen before that."
City staff will prepare a report on the issue and report back to city council, city manager Derek Bates said.
