EDITORIAL: Wellness centre must mark the end of aging facilities
Miramichi city council made the right decision in asking what it would cost to keep the city's aging recreation facilities operating alongside the new Arbec Wellness Centre through next spring. Now that council has received those figures, it has all the information needed to proceed with the original closure plan.
Council's consensus at the Aug. 18 meeting to follow through with that plan was encouraging. The Lord Beaverbrook Arena and the Golden Hawk Recreation Centre should be decommissioned when the $98 million Arbec Wellness Centre becomes fully operational in early February 2027, and the city should also proceed with the planned transition away from offering programs at the Miramichi Valley High School indoor pool.
According to figures presented to council, keeping those facilities operating while simultaneously running the new multiplex would cost roughly $720,000 and require the equivalent of a 3.5-cent increase in the residential tax rate. Based on the current rate of $1.715 per $100 of assessment, this would represent approximately a 2 percent tax hike.
That's simply too much to ask of taxpayers. At a time when residents are already dealing with rising costs for groceries, housing, utilities, and virtually everything else, council should look for ways to keep the tax burden manageable rather than add hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses to preserve facilities well beyond their useful lives.
Aging infrastructure demands action
The facilities slated for closure are not just old — they are ancient by modern standards. The Lord Beaverbrook Arena was built in 1960 and is now over 65 years old. The Golden Hawk Recreation Centre is approximately 70 years old, inherited by the city from the former CFB Chatham military base. These buildings have served the community well, but their time has passed.
The city is currently spending between $250,000 and $500,000 per year on maintenance repairs to keep these aging facilities operational — expenses the mayor has described as Band-Aid solutions. This ongoing financial drain further underscores why keeping these buildings open longer makes no fiscal sense.
Contractual obligations and funding realities
Beyond the financial considerations, the city faces contractual obligations related to the new facility. Closing the Lord Beaverbrook Arena after the Arbec Wellness Centre opens is a requirement of the city's funding agreements with provincial and federal governments, which jointly contributed over $67 million to the project. The federal government provided $18 million and the provincial government contributed $12 million toward the facility.
The new Arbec Wellness Centre is designed to replace six aging and deteriorating recreation facilities within the community, representing the largest municipal infrastructure project in the city's history. The project cost has risen to $98 million, up from an original budget of $58 million announced in 2023, placing additional financial pressure on the municipality.
Construction is expected to wrap up at the end of January 2027, with the facility opening to residents in early February after a short transition period for staff training and operational readiness.
Modern amenities justify the transition
What the community gains from this transition makes the closure of old facilities easier to accept. The Arbec Wellness Centre will feature an 1,860-seat arena, a 25-meter six-lane competition pool, a leisure pool, double gymnasium, walking track, and enhanced community spaces with sustainable design features. These modern amenities far exceed what the aging facilities currently offer.
The consolidation strategy makes sound financial and operational sense. Running multiple facilities simultaneously would stretch staff resources, duplicate operating costs, and delay the full benefits of the new centre. Residents deserve access to modern, efficient recreation infrastructure rather than continuing to patch together aging buildings that drain municipal budgets.
Council showed wisdom in exploring all options, but the numbers speak clearly. The time has come to move forward with confidence, close the chapter on these aging facilities, and embrace the future that the Arbec Wellness Centre represents for the community.
