Opinion: Arena Report Ill-Timed
The Chatham Maroons line up at their home opener this season at Chatham’s aging Memorial Arena – Photo by Helen Heath
That makes sense. I mean, who wouldn’t want to welcome a multi-million dollar, revenue generating business to town that also comes with National and International exposure?
What doesn’t make sense to me, is why then, did Chatham-Kent release a report clearly outlining a decreased interest and use of our collective arenas while in talks with an OHL franchise?
Let’s be honest, in all likelihood, the Plymouth Whalers had made their decision to move to Flint, Michigan long before this report came out last week, and had definitely made their decision before it was read Monday at Council.
Trust me, as a tax paying citizen, I want reports like this to be public. We need to know what problems our Municipality faces, and what steps are being made to fix these issues. Our aging arenas that should have been replaced years ago, with their overpriced ice (which is overpriced to pay for the deteriorating buildings) are a major reason we didn’t get an OHL team. The cost to maintain these old, under-utilized buildings, is a problem.
Chatham-Kent needs a new arena, even if it means closing a pair of current arenas. I believe this.
But still, in light of all of this, I can’t fathom why Chatham-Kent staff would go on record, the very week decisions were being made about a possible investment in our community, and highlight these problems.
I’m no businessman, but when attracting new investment, shouldn’t we be showcasing our strengths, and a plan to fix our weaknesses, in this case, a plan to build a new arena. To be clear, I’m not saying we should have hid this information, but I am saying the release of this report was ill-timed.
While the steps released in this plan, such as reducing staff, changing hours, and outsourcing canteens are fine, they’re just putting a bandaid on a gaping wound. Old arenas that other communities laugh at, which charge more for ice time than brand new facilities, need to be closed or replaced.
In the case of luring an OHL team, or dealing with our budget long term, I think it’s time to be proactive and build a new arena. We won’t come out too far behind if we close Bothwell, and close either Memorial or Erickson Arena’s in Chatham, and build a new, single, not twin, pad arena in Chatham. Heck, a private businessman tried to buy Erickson Arena from Chatham a while back, which was turned down out of fear of private competition for ice. Potentially one of these arenas could still go that way as well.
We are also losing out on money from sports tourism and tournaments. Teams are no longer coming to Chatham because our facilities are that poor. Ask the Chatham Outlaws who canned their tournament and went to a new format this year after teams bowed out siting our arenas as the cause.
It would be nice to have even one of our many arenas compare to brand new facilities in Leamington, Strathroy, St. Thomas, Komoka, LaSalle, Essex, Belle River, Dorchester, Forest…sorry, I’ll stop, my fingers were cramping from listing towns within an hour of us with amazing new facilities. Heck even the renovated rink in the tiny town of Thedford out shines any of Chatham-Kent’s arenas.
So what’s next? First, let’s get a legitimate plan to build a new OHL sized arena. Second, let’s get a plan to deactivate an arena (or two), now. Not when the new one is built.
Next, and this one is important. The next time the OHL or another league comes knocking, which they will again, let’s put our best foot forward. That best foot will include a new arena, positive comments about fan support, and no more negative reports published about our rinks and athletic participation numbers the very week a decision is coming down. Let’s save those reports for another week, seriously, even one more week would have been fine.
I’m a supporter of the idea of the OHL coming to Chatham, and I’m a supporter of a new arena. It can make financial sense, but our council needs to truly do a better job this term in making decisions that make sense. No more in-fighting, no more cliques in the chamber, just get to work and sell our community to others, including the OHL.
I was reading your article and agreed with you on some points. You specifically mentioned about closing the Bothwell arena and one or two of Chathams arenas. I ask you do you live in Chatham by chance? Bothwell is my town and I am proud to live here in this great community. Us losing our arena so that the cit of Chatham can benefit from a double ice pad irritates me and some of my fellow town mates. So me driving 30 minutes from my community to do public skating on a Sunday during the winter in probably crappy roads is beneficial to whom..what about the hockey organization or figure skating club that uses that arena..where do we go drive another 20 minutes to either another competing hockey or figure skating club or to an arena outside of chatham Kent where our tax dollars are not utilized. I certainly understand it your opinion. Please enlighten me in your opinion what the community of Bothwell should do if Chatham Kent closes our arena to accommodate the citizens of the city of Chatham because maybe if wages were lower and ice time not so expensive to pay said wages ( and yes building upkeep is in there but who needs $20 to drive a Zamboni) rural communities like Bothwell, Ridgetown an them may be able to sustain their arena. Thank you for again for your interesting article.
Hi Andrea,
I don’t live in Chatham. I’m born and raised in Wallaceburg. I now live in what I’ll refer to as “the boonies.” I do however, spend a lot of time in Chatham’s arenas, and have spent a lot of time in Bothwell’s, coaching ‘AAA’ hockey in Chatham-Kent and driving to Bothwell for games and practices.
I only stated Bothwell because it is by far the least used arena in Chatham-Kent. With no Minor Hockey system solely dedicated to Bothwell after the amalgamation with Glencoe, it also makes sense, because area youth are already renting ice outside of Chatham-Kent.