A new multi-use arena could be in the works for Chatham.
Mayor Randy Hope made the announcement Wednesday morning during a municipal update, hosted by Chatham-Kent's Chamber of Commerce.
He's pinning his hopes on receiving financial support from the federal and provincial governments.
"If our price tag is $86-million [for the multi-use arena] and somebody says 'okay we'll give you 1/3, 1/3, and 1/3' -- then council needs to make a decision," says Hope. "This could happen in a year. If federal and provincial governments dump the money in front of us, we can move quickly."
At this point, Hope says they're in the process of doing a financial analysis to determine exactly how much a new multi-use facility would cost. Hope adds he'd like to have most of the costs covered by government funding rather than having the community bear the brunt of the costs through fundraising.
He says the facility would address numerous requests made by residents and would help to attract tourists.
"Everyone that [takes] their kid to a different arena -- I'm getting dumped on [with requests]," says Hope. "But when I talk about a sticker price -- we can't do it on our own. We need federal and provincial governments to stand up to the coffers."
However, Hope is also quick to add that a new multi-use arena could mean closures for other facilities in Chatham.
"Will you close the Northside [Erickson Arena]? Absolutely," he says. "Will you close the Memorial [Arena]? Absolutely!"
Details about a possible site for the proposed facility are not being released at this time.
