West Perth Council has asked staff to look deeper into a couple of options for the future of the Mitchell Arena following public consultation.
An open house was held September 29, and an online survey was put up on September 30 to gauge public interest in 4 options. People were asked to rank the options in preference 1-4, and option 3 was the highest ranked first choice at 37 percent. CAO Daniel Hobson explains what option 3 would be.
"Option 3 was to essentially retrofit the existing ice pad into an indoor recreation space or field house, and then build a new ice pad adjoining the existing facility," Hobson said.
Option 1 was maintenance to the existing facility, option 2 involved targeted expansion of the rink to potentially regulation size, and option 4 was an outright new facility.
Hobson says that options 3 and 4 both carry heavy price tags.
"So with option 3 we've kind of outlined at this stage $25 million. We think that where we are in the process, that's a reasonable estimate of what we could expect," Hobson shared. "As far as option 4, I think at this stage we were looking at $40 million, and that was just looking at comparables of what other communities have done. We thought if we were to go down that road we'd likely build an arena, gymnasium space, community space, etc. into that."
At this stage, staff will conduct further investigation into a preferred option, which could be a hybrid of option 2 and 3, which received the most support from the public. If applicable, any identified costs will be presented as part of the 2026 budget process.
West Perth staff estimated 203 people attended and 110 people completed paper surveys. The online survey also had high engagement with 358 responses. Staff consolidated the feedback from the open house into the survey results for a total of 468 responses. There was also 213 open-ended comments submitted.
Concerns expressed in those comments included fiscal responsibility, with over 40 per cent of respondents emphasizing concerns about tax increases and project affordability.
A large number of respondents also highlighted pride in community assets and a desire to see the town modernize in a responsible fashion.
There were also demands for a fully accessible facility, multiple community uses for the facility, as well as a recognition that long-term maintenance of the current facility is not a viable option.
The public also voiced opinions on amenities they would prefer to see for the facility. Those included:
Walking Track: 70 per cent-Most frequently mentioned amenity.
Indoor Pool: 25 per cent-Commonly tied to replacing or modernizing the Lions Pool for year-round use.
Gymnasium: 20 per cent-Desired for both recreation and youth/senior fitness programming.
Fieldhouse/Indoor Turf: 15 per cent-Suggested for baseball, soccer, and multi-sport training.
Pickleball Courts: 10 per cent-High interest, especially among seniors.
Dedicated Senior and Youth Space: 10 per cent-Desire for social, meeting, and program rooms.
Double Ice Pad: 10 per cent-Divided opinion, as some favour it for regional tournaments, but others see cost concerns.
