City officials meet SaskTel Centre stakeholders over proposed downtown project

As unanswered questions abound about the proposed downtown event and entertainment district in Saskatoon, city representatives are working to connect with communities and dispel information.

A closed-door meeting about the downtown event and entertainment district for SaskTel Centre stakeholders took place Monday morning at the arena.

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark called it a “good meeting” with “good discussion” that represented a chance to get out and talk to people — in this case, SaskTel suiteholders, in particular — about the project.

Clark said the purpose of the meeting was “to just explain where we’re at with our council process of moving forward on the downtown event and entertainment district.”

The meeting was spent answering questions, clearing up misinformation and confusion, and addressing any concerns people in attendance had.

“I think we’re at a place right now where there’s different rumours (and) different questions and so this was a chance to clarify,” Clark shared.

With the site — the Midtown Mall parking lot in downtown — selected and purchased along with three other pieces of land adjacent to it, Clark said the year ahead will be important to complete initial design work for the project and identify what type of private partnership will be possible for the event centre.

That’s where Clark said the city and council is currently — seeking to put together plans to answer some of the frequent questions it’s been receiving about the project.

“It was a good chance to hear from people about what their thoughts are and (there was) lots of enthusiasm in the room,” Clark said. “There is some misinformation out there and some confusion and it’s natural with something this large and this complicated.”

Cynthia Block, city councillor for Ward 6 and council’s strategic lead for downtown development, was present, along with fellow councillor Troy Davies. They’re leading the process for the advisory group for the proposed district.

Block estimated Monday’s event was the 15th meeting she, Davies and Clark have attended to share an update on the city’s progress and answer questions.

“I know that there’s a lot of chatter in the community about what is council doing and how much is it going to cost and when is it going to happen,” Block said, also noting the ample misinformation circulating about the project.

“I think this is just an opportunity for us to be as transparent as possible, helping people to understand the reason, the plan and the process.”

Clark said people were grateful to get a clear picture and information about the timeline for progress on the project.

“For many good reasons, there’s a lot of questions people in the community have,” he said.

The next 10 months will be geared towards getting the answers that people have been asking for.

“These are concerns that I have as well,” Clark said, mentioning queries about how the project will be financed, parking arrangements, and the timeline for construction to begin.

“Until we have that information, I understand where rumours can come in for some of these things.”

Clark said some of the untrue information he’s heard include confusion over the size of the building, with some saying the lot won’t be able to accommodate a structure with the projected 15,000-person capacity that has been promised.

“That’s not accurate,” Clark said, noting the site has been assessed to make sure it can house the anticipated crowd numbers to bring the type of talent Saskatoon is hoping to attract.

Another rumour is the city has already selected a private partner for the arena, which Clark also dispelled. He said the city has been clear the only decision made so far on that front is that the city intends to go to a request for proposal (RFP), which is a competitive process to determine what different private stakeholders could bring in order to become part of the process — and help foot the bill for the project.

That’s good news for the city’s intent to not increase property taxes to fund the project, Clark explained.

So far, he said, three different groups have shown interest in undergoing that process.

Clark said the city wants to go through the proper due diligence to ensure a fair and competitive process and to properly assess what each potential partner could bring to the table.

“I’m very aware that this is one of the most significant and, in some ways, complicated projects that the city has ever undertaken,” Clark said.

Whether SaskTel Centre stays where it is or effectively moves downtown comes with a cost, Block said.

“We’re staring down some extraordinarily high costs with either decision,” she said.

As a downtown representative, Block is trying to convey to Saskatoon residents there are substantial risks that come with not moving ahead with the downtown project.

Block noted the city’s growth to date has primarily focused on expanding through suburbs.

“For every metre of pipe and sidewalk and roadway that we build, we become a more expensive city,” she said.

Conversely, Block explained that cities focusing their efforts to develop the core and interior of their city “tend to be the most prosperous, progressive and financially sustainable communities.”

With Saskatoon currently behind on growth commitments, Block said the real question is whether the city is growing the right way.

“I have an interest in being a less expensive city, I have an interest in being a vibrant downtown  here people want to gather, where visitors want to come and where our kids and our grandkids want to stay and where they’re proud to call Saskatoon home,” she said.

“It’s going to take us some time to get this project done and now is a critical time to be talking,” Clark added.

While putting in effort to be “as clear and transparent and up front as possible,” Clark said the city and its council know the impact of this project could shape the future of Saskatoon, and thus it welcomes the opportunities it has to hear from people and answer their questions.