Football team ‘frustrated’ by lack of action on old arena

Proposal for multi-sport facility forgotten, says coach

By Andy Comber - May 18, 2011

Reports in a recent newspaper article dealing with the undecided fate of the Essex Memorial Arena struck a nerve with some local sporting organizations. The Essex arena was one of three arenas mentioned in a May 11 Windsor Star article – “Fate of old arenas mulled.”

Essex Memorial Arena sits idle following its second season of ice use since the opening of the twin-pad Essex Centre Sports Complex in September 2009. Earlier that year, the Essex Ravens football club put a proposal before Essex town council to turn the old arena into an indoor multi-sport training facility. 

News that the fate of the Essex arena was “in doubt” disheartened Glen Mills, head coach of the Essex Ravens football club. It appears the town has put aside a proposal by the football club, made to town council in March 2009, to replace the ice pad with artificial turf turning the arena into a multi-sport training facility, he said.

“It’s frustrating,” Mills said. “We spent a lot of time on that idea. Everyone loved it. Now we’re not doing it?”

Mills feels the town should have investigated options for the facility when the Ravens’ proposal was put before council, before or especially after the new twin-pad arena opened in September 2009. Other local municipalities, such Amherstburg, have developed impressive indoor and outdoor facilities. By not taking action, valuable government grants that could have supported the Essex project have been lost, he said.

“There are sizable grants we would be eligible for – but not now,” Mills said. “It’s like starting over.”

The football club has conveyed the idea to the town’s director of community services, David Morgan. But he is new to the department, formerly parks and recreation, which has seen two other directors since the proposal for facility was made.

The town is waiting for an update to an engineering report done on the old arena about two years ago, Morgan said.

“Once that is presented, council can decide if it wants to study the possibility of a repurposing for the facility,” he said.

The engineer’s report is a couple of months away, said Wayne Miller, chief administrative officer.

“If that reports warrants considering a new life for the arena, the repurposing study would probably begin in house with public consultation.”

Mills feels time is working against the project. The Ravens have recently been focusing on establishing a partnership that will help develop an outdoor artificial-turf playing field – possibly at the Essex High field.