The boards for TCU Place and SaskTel Centre have hired consultants for a promised study on the future of the two facilities.
Previously, the CEOs of both boards have stated they need to begin planning as the structures start to show their age.
“Other cities are modernizing their facilities,” SaskTel Centre CEO Will Lofdahl told 650 CKOM. “We need to be mindful of doing the same.”
One avenue to be examined will be building a replacement for both facilities in the form of a downtown arena and event centre.
But Lofdahl said it’s not the main focus.
“It’s more of a decision tree, and [a downtown arena] would be way down one of those branches,” he said.
The boards announced Thursday that Toronto’s HLT Advisory Inc. and Florida-based Conventional Wisdom Corp. will handle the study.
HLT previously worked on Edmonton’s Arena District and the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Conventional Wisdom has been involved in convention centre projects in Toronto, Austin, Texas and Melbourne, Australia.
The analysis is being funded by the boards of SaskTel Centre and TCU Place.
A final report is expected in late 2017.
-with files from 650 CKOM’s Chris Vandenbreekel