Photo: Kate Bouey

The Civic arena should be demolished, says Coun. Brian Quiring.

City council would be throwing good money after bad if it allowed another study to be done on the feasibility of repurposing the old Civic arena, insisted Coun. Brian Quiring.

“We don't know what we are going to use it for so how can we cost it?” the architect asked fellow councillors on Monday. “It's a waste of money and it's a waste of time.”

Work on a new arena to replace the Civic is currently underway by Kal Tire Place.

While council knows the Civic's days as a rink are almost over, the public had been promised some input into what would happen to the structure which opened in 1938.

In May, Quiring told council the building had so many structural problems it should be demolished. He made a similar argument at Monday's session.

“We need to stay on our plan and knock that building down....Let's let this (ice rink) limp through until we get a new building open and let's stop talking about it.”

Many on council disagreed, with Coun. Catherine Lord pointing out that Quiring's own firm, MQN Architecture, did a drawing on what the Civic would look like as a farmer's market.

“We asked staff for a workable shell,” said Coun. Scott Anderson. “If we have some concerns it will fall on somebody's head we should shut it down. There is no evidence of that.”

“There was an indication that for x amount of dollars, it could be maintained,” said Coun. Bob Spiers, referring to an earlier report. “Perhaps the shell of the building could be turned into something else....I'm not convinced you can't refurbish that building into something else.”

An engineer who wrote a 1988 report on state of the Civic followed up with a letter last year pointing to structural problems and the old facility's inability to standup to an earthquake.

Councillors agreed with Quiring's motion to send an updated letter from the engineer and his report to a quantity surveyor who would then explain what it would cost to remedy just those problems.

“All that will do, it will stop the building from falling down,” Quiring said.