Fabio Belli Pushes for New OHL Arena Now
Ward 8 Councillor Fabio Belli will ask fellow councillors Tuesday to support a motion to make replacing the Sudbury Community Arena a priority for Greater Sudbury.
“The downtown arena is the oldest remaining building in the Ontario Hockey League and, as was recently proven by the cancellation of this season’s home opener because of fog, it is showing its age,” Councillor Belli said.
“It’s clear there is a glaring need to replace the downtown Sudbury Community Arena with a larger, more modern and more flexible facility as many other cities in Ontario have done,” Councillor Belli said. “It’s a need the public and our partners keep bringing up.”
A new, modern and flexible community event centre would allow the city to host more events, attract big-name artists, facilitate a better spectator experience, attract more tourists to Greater Sudbury and serve a catalyst for redevelopment, Belli said.
“The Sudbury Wolves are very excited about the possibility of working with the city to build a brand new arena as soon as possible, “ said Wolves’ President Blaine Smith.
“Our players look forward to playing in a modern OHL facility and I know that our fans will enjoy the experience of watching Wolves’ games in a new and comfortable environment” Smith said.
“The Sudbury Wolves commend Councillor Belli and all Councillors for recognizing the benefits of constructing and managing a new Community Event Centre as soon as possible for the benefit of the hockey fans and the citizens of Greater Sudbury,” Smith said.
Councillor Belli will ask staff to report back to council with options for replacing the downtown arena, complete with design, funding and location options, and potential sponsorship partners.
“I suggest, with the concurrence of council, that we make a Sudbury arena renewal strategy a priority for our city so we can all move forward together on this exciting project,” Councillor Belli said.
