City to split cost of new basketball floor with Sudbury Five

The Sudbury Five are getting set to hit the court for their inaugural National Basketball League of Canada season this November.

But anyone who has been to the Sudbury Community Arena recently might be wondering exactly what court that will be.

The team still doesn't have a hardwood floor to play on, though the City of Greater Sudbury is currently in the process of ordering a new onefor thearena.

The city issued a tender for a portable floor that closed on August 9, with three bids received. Details have yet to be made public.

The cost of the court which will includea digital scoring table, shot clocks and nets is expected to be between $200,000 and $250,000, said city project manager Dave Shelsted.

The price tag will be split evenly between the team and the city, he added.

"Lots of people in our community like basketball and it gives them the option to have other entertainment options that aren't necessarily currently available in Sudbury," said Shelsted.

"From a municipal perspective, it allows us to utilize our existing arena and future events centre for another evening, and get more usage out of the asset that we have. Any time you can use a facility more often, that will help with operating costs."

The city will own the customized floor once it's installed, and will be responsible for any repairs or adjustments, added Shelsted. He said that will give the city the chance to welcome events like the Harlem Globetrotters.

Hoping to avoid 'Murphy's Law'

With the season fast approaching, the Five's vice president of basketball operations, Bob Johnston, said he's not too concerned about getting the floor ordered, installed and tested in time for the team's first home game in late November.

"Personally I'm not worried about the timeline," offered Johnston. "I know the city is totally on top of it, and it's my understanding that the terms in the RFP require that the floor be fabricated and delivered by the end of October."

Johnston acknowledged there's always a possibility for delays or things to go wrong along the way.

"Murphy's Law," quipped Johnston. "If something like that happened, we'd probably have some lead time knowing they're not going to meet the deadline.

"There is possibilities you could rent a floor, get it up here and put it in. We'll cross that bridge if it comes, but we have every expectation they'll meet the timeline."

For the right to play at the Sudbury Community Arena this year, Johnston says the Five will end up paying the city between $7,000 and $10,000 for each home game

"This will more than offset the loss of revenues you'd have on an ice rental day, so it's going to be an additional revenue stream that will offset the deficit of the Sudbury Arena and be less that the municipal taxpayer has to pay toward running the facility," said Johnston.

The floor's lifespan is expected to be around eight to 10 years. Shelsted saidit will be carried over to the city's new $100-million arena planned on the Kingsway, when and if it gets built.

Shelsted explained the city had already planned to buy a basketball floor for the Kingsway centre, but that the arrival of the Five who are owned by Dario Zulich's Sudbury Wolves Sports and Entertainment caused the city to "accelerate the purchase of the floor" for this fall.

The three companies whose bids the city is considering are Westpoint Construction, Horner Flooring Company and Gym-Con Ltd.