The Reeve for De Salaberry assures ratepayers that there will be plenty of public consultation before a new arena is ever built in the municipality.

Marc Marion made the comment following a news story we broke that De Salaberry council has approached Hanover about considering a regional arena for the two municipalities. Marion explains earlier this year they heard Hanover was considering a new arena for Grunthal, so they inquired about building a regional rink together. Hanover has since announced the preferred site for the Grunthal arena is at the Hanover Ag grounds. The new rink is expected to cost approximately $11 million.

(St.Malo Arena)"I think regional projects are the way to go," says Marion. "Especially at that price point."

Marion says it is his opinion that for a project in the $11-15 million range, you need a population density of at least 5,000 people.

"No town in this area, whether it be the RM of De Salaberry or the village of St.Pierre or the town of Grunthal has that population density," he says. "So it's really I think a challenge for local councils to be able to justify spending that kind of money."

The RM of De Salaberry has one arena. But Marion says it is a rink at least 40 years old in St.Malo that is past its prime. He notes it has been an ongoing process to maintain that rink, whether it was installing artificial ice a number of years ago or fixing the roof. He notes right now the boards need to be looked at.

"The lifespan of that building has probably reached its peak," he says. "And we're going to have to either invest humungous money in it to be able to bring it up to par or sometimes it's just better to start from scratch."

Marion says right now they are in the information gathering phase. He suggests there are three options; fixing that rink, building a new arena in the municipality or constructing a regional arena with a neighbouring municipality.

Marion says the longer they wait to build an arena, the more the facility will cost. He notes the upper levels of government like to invest money into regional projects and that could be one of the benefits of trying to team up with Hanover on this one.

But, he says he has yet to speak with Hanover since they announced the Hanover Ag grounds as the preferred site.

"I think that there would be some negotiations done to ensure if ever there was a regional project that it would cater to all of the different variables around," he adds.

Again, Marion stresses public consultation will happen before such a facility is built.

"At that price point you just have no choice," he says. "To ensure that the public at least understands where the different options are and get their feedback and their opinions on different projects."

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