The long-awaited facility welcomed its first skaters Friday, with officials and longtime advocates celebrating a project that took years to reach the finish line<\/p>\n
North Bay’s long-awaited $63-million twin-pad arena and community centre officially opened its doors Friday, marking the end of a project that has been debated, redesigned and worked on for more than a decade.<\/p>\n
The facility, now known as WFCU Place, was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Steve Omischl Sports Field Complex on Lakeshore Drive in West Ferris.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, well, I guess we finally made it,\u201d Mayor Peter Chirico told\u00a0a large crowd.<\/p>\n
See: $63M twin pad arena and community centre approved<\/a><\/p>\n The facility includes two regulation-sized ice pads, an indoor walking track, community meeting space and 14 dressing rooms. It is designed to support indoor and outdoor recreation year-round.<\/p>\n The city says the project was delivered “on time and on budget.”<\/p>\n See: Is our $63M arena on schedule and on budget?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAfter more than a decade of talking about the need for more ice in our community, debating where it should go, what it should look like, and what we could afford, we’re standing here today in front of this brand new recreation facility,\u201d Chirico\u00a0said.<\/p>\n But Chirico said the building is about more than hockey and skating.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a community centre. It’s a place for our kids and grandkids to learn to skate. It’s a place for athletes to compete,” the mayor said. “It’s a place for families to spend time together. It is a place for seniors to stay active and for community groups to gather and for people from across North Bay to come together.\u201d<\/p>\n The opening weekend<\/a> includes free public skating, shinny, fitness and drop-in activities, family activities, demonstrations and games from local sports and community groups.<\/p>\n For some people involved in the project, seeing the doors open was the culmination of years of work.<\/p>\n Mike Finner, a longtime recreation advocate and member of the advisory committee that studied a new multi-use recreation facility, said he was \u201cecstatic\u201d to see the project completed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve waited for this a long, long time,\u201d Finner said.<\/p>\n Finner noted how the project went through several different versions over the years. He estimated he took part in 20 to 25 meetings a year for about two decades.<\/p>\n \u201cI had dark hair when we started,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n He said he was pleased with the finished facility.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks awesome, really,” he said. “When I think of it right now, it looks like a perfect place.\u201d<\/p>\n