Work on a replacement for the Queen’s Park Arenex is continuing, nearly two years after the building was destroyed.
A $4.3-million multi-sport facility – the Queen’s Park Sportsplex – will be built on the reservoir/tennis court site that’s located between the Queen’s Park Stadium and the former Arenex site. The building, consisting of a fabric cover over a rigid frame, will be erected next to the new skate park that’s set to be complete in December.
In the summer, the city put out a request for proposals for architectural design team services.
“That work is continuing,” said Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation. “They are right now doing the back and forth between design and cost estimates and making sure we have something that is going to be within the financial means of the city. We haven’t progressed to the stage yet where we are issuing a tender for the actual construction piece.”
While the city is “actively” working on the project, Gibson said citizens won’t likely be seeing any action on the site until early 2019.
Once construction begins, it will take a while to erect the 14,000-square-foot structure.
“We are expecting it will be a minimum of about 12 months,” Gibson said. “Once we enter into a contract with somebody who is actually going to be building the thing that’s when we can speak with more confidence about what construction schedules are. Right now, it is our best forecasts that we are able to provide.”
The Arenex, which collapsed under the weight of snow on Dec. 19, 2016, was home to a wide range of programs including gymnastics, trampoline, children's drop-ins, badminton, indoor soccer, volleyball, ball hockey, basketball and pickleball. Earlier this year, the city approved a new name for the building – the Queen’s Park Sportsplex, which was considered a “general name” that reflects a wide range of sports activities.
“The former name, Arenex, is not recommended,” said a staff report. “The rationale is that the name Queen’s Park Arenex creates confusion with the Queen’s Park Arena. In the past these facilities have been confused due to the naming similarities. Arenex is also ambiguous and does not provide a description of programs and services.”
