Thunder Bay Sign -Acadia Broadcasting Files

The city is giving the public an opportunity to take a closer look at the proposed new indoor turf facility by hosting a public open house for the facility concept developed by Soccer Northwest Ontario.

Attendees will be able to view and provide comments on the proposed site, facility design concept, floor plan, amenities, standard of construction, and project costs.

The event is taking place from 4-7 p.m. at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Foyer.

The current proposed site for the facility is right beside the auditorium, replacing the previously looked-at Chapples Park location.

In September SNO’s proposed site came in at a max of $52 million compared to Chapples’ max of $56 million. Outside of price parking was another point of contention but the existing parking around the Auditorium was ultimately deemed as a more ideal fit over Chapples.

In November city council finalized and approved a new $38-million financing strategy for the Multi-use Indoor Sports Facility, which would be built beside Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.

The new financing strategy capped spending and also reduced the building standard to simply Ontario Building Code-compliant, meaning it would not be required to meet the city’s design standards or the LEED Silver environmental certification council. The cap excludes site development and extras such as parking.

The new strategy has administration reporting back in March which will lead to a review of the operating business model, business plan, and options/price associated with the possibility of achieving city design and Leed Silver standards presented to council.

Administration is also set to complete environmental and geotechnical assessments during this time.

Following the open house, if the report back goes well the next step would be the competitive procurement process to advance the realization of the facility.