Coliseum debate should have happened years ago, say nearby residents

The Rexall Place sign has been taken down, the Oilers are nowgone and even the Wayne Gretzky statue has left the building leaving north Edmonton community members wondering why Northlands and the city are only creating a plan for the site now.

At a public hearing held on Wednesday, several community members expressed frustration over the delay to put a plan in place, fuelling fears of the Coliseum falling vacant.

"The day after the new arena deal was consummated was the day forums such as today's should have occurred," said Bryan Finley, past president of the Bellevue Community League.

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Councillors heard from 43 speakers, many of whom told council to make a decision about the Edmonton Coliseum or tear it down to prevent the surrounding area from becoming derelict.

Debate over the future of Northlands will continue next Tuesday. Mayor Don Iveson anticipates it will take approximately two years to settle several of the outstanding issues surrounding the complex plan for the site.

"I don't disagree with Mr. Finlaythat we should have figured this out fouryears ago, but we're trying to figure it out now," Iveson said.

The mayor says he has no interest in allowing the site to be boarded up.

Debate on Tuesday will focus on redeveloping the Coliseum into a sports multiplex,merging the Expo Centre with the Shaw Conference Centre downtown, deferring Northlands existing $47-million debt, creating a development plan for the area and allowing horse racing to continue until it can relocate to a new site.

Learn from other cities' mistakes, urges committee chair

Andrew Ross, chairman of the Northlands Arena Strategy Committee, told councillors to look at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City as an example of what could happen if they take too long to make a decision.

The facility used to be the home of major sports teams until the city builta new downtown arena.

"I literally get goosebumps thinking about it because it is so derelict," Ross told council.

Ross said local officials kept putting off a decision on the facilities future and it "destroyed the community."

"I really implore you ...to look at the social impacts that not activating the site will have," he said. "And I also firmly believe from our learnings is that if you do not activate the site, take that building down and take it down quickly."

Northlands, the non-profit organization that runsthe arena formerly known as Rexall Place, the Expo Centreand K-Days, is seeking a new purpose now that Edmonton Oilers hockey games and major concerts are moving to Rogers Place next month.

Northlands CEO Tim Reid confirmed Wednesday that the organization has reduced its workforce by 25 full-time positions through voluntary buyouts. "Right-sizing" effortswill also affect part-time workers, he said, adding the risk remains of furtherjob losses in future.

Mike Scott, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 30, which represents Northlands workers, said employees were told about the staffing reductions at a meeting Tuesday. Scott said the reductionsare tied to an anticipated loss of revenue after Rogers Place opens.

Ross's fears were echoed by others around Northlands.

RichardCurriefromConcordiaUniversity of Edmontonspoke in favour of Northlands and theVision 2020plan.

Currie, the university's vice president of finance, said he feared what will happen toConcordiaif the plan is not adopted.

"The area aroundConcordiamust be seen as an attractive destination that augments the excellent academic reputation for which we worked very hard to attain," he said.

"We fear that without the Vision 2020 development, our part of the city wll become derelict."

Noise a big concern for residents

But residents from the Cromdale and Bellevue neighbourhoods expressed alarmabout a proposal to set up what Northlands is callingan urban festivalarea on the site.

Liz Ferguson, who lives in Bellevue, told city council that noise from nearby events like Sonic Boom have rattled her windows.

She saidresidents are fine with the 10days of K-Days but other communities need to share the load when it comes to hosting festivals.

"I urge the mayor and council to consider the number of events against the number of weekends in the summer," Ferguson said.

Melanie Moore, who lives in Cromdale, said she was alarmed to learn about the proposed urban festival site. She wants a quieter, family-friendly use for the Northlands grounds.

"Our community already has more of our share of this type of event," Moore said. "I don't want more loud parties and thousands of participants who do not care about our community or park space."

City administrators have criticized most of the Northlands plan for lacking details about a planned festival site and questionable demand for building a 5,000-seat concert and sports hall in the Expo Centre's Hall D.

They found Northlands also underestimated the cost of construction, failing to factor in public consultation and design work. Northlands had pegged the total cost ofrenovations at $165 million. But the city estimates the cost would be $235 million. Northlands also wants the city to forgive a $47-million loan.

Despite these concerns, administration feels a proposal to turn the Coliseum into a multiplex with six ice sheets has merit.

Mark Doram, president of Hockey Edmonton, said the multiplex could be the site of a minor hockey coaching school of excellence.

Doram said he doesn't want the city to close other ice sheets ifthe multiplex is approved.