The ice will be staying this winter at Erickson Arena in Chatham and Bothwell Arena.
On Monday night, council voted in favour of reversing its previous decision to convert the two arenas from December 2020 to March 2021 into a multipurpose facility to accommodate pickleball, indoor soccer, volleyball and ball hockey.
Municipal staff made the recommendation in hopes of making the arena facilities more financially viable by saving around $164,000 in decreased operational costs and council voted in favour of the repurposing on November 9.
However, the plan to repurpose quickly drew concerns from local user groups who had already had paid for ice time at the two arenas for the upcoming season and would now be required to change locations. User groups of Bothwell Arena also questioned what the move would mean for the future of the arena as a whole.
During Monday night's meeting, Councillor Michael Bondy brought forward a motion to keep the ice in the arenas for the remainder of the season. Bondy originally voted in favour of the repurposing but said his views changed when he saw the outpouring of concern from local user groups and learned of the impact it would have on their operations.
Several other councillors echoed Bondy's statement that the user groups weren't involved enough in the initial proposal.
"The reason why I voted the way I did last time was because I made an assumption and you know what happens when you assume. I had assumed that there was considerable consultation and in the last week, having heard from [user groups] and longtime friends and family in the Bothwell area who are actively involved, I gained some new information," said Councillor Karen Kirkwood-Whyte.
Counil voted in favour of leaving the ice in Bothwell Arena 83 per cent to 17 per cent and leaving the ice in Erickson arena 94 per cent to six per cent.
