Southeast Event Centre showcased in virtual presentation

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This article was published 11/12/2021 (1575 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach residents had their first opportunity to see plans for the $42.5 million Southeast Event Centre as part of a public meeting hosted on Zoom on Monday.

Jeff Penner, Senior Associate, Sport and Community Architect at Verne Reimer Architecture presented schematics and renderings of the planned facility, taking questions from the public as well.

“Input from the community is so important at this stage,” he said in an interview following the event.

For Penner, while there are projects in Canada and the U.S. that share some similarities, this one is unique.

“It’s a very innovative design,” he said. “The type of facility, its location, the type of community it serves is very unique to Steinbach.”

The new facility will include 500 parking stalls a number that grows to 1,500 within “a short walk”.

The existing outdoor plaza will be maintained and extended. “We’re trying to provide a real civic identity,” Penner said.

The north side on Hanover will include truck access and bus drop-off and parking. The east side will feature an NHL size outdoor rink with a warm-up shack. While the development of that space will require tree removal, Penner said they’ll try to keep as many as possible.

The floor plan is designed to allow daily community use and large events. Penner described it as a “welcome and open design”.

The main floor will feature a corridor that connects the curling club and theatre to the new facility.

A large atrium, food service zone, volunteer hub, skate shop, administration office, washrooms and a first aid room are also included.

The proposed hall will total 11,000 sq. ft. and can be divided into two zones. It will seat 500 for banquets but can also be used for basketball and other court sports. There will be no fixed seating, but potential exists for retractable seating.

“This is not a gymnasium,” Penner said. “It’s a multi-use hall.”

The upper level will include a 10-foot-wide walking track measured out to 12 laps to the mile.

The arena itself will include 2,400 seats with 3,000 possible. A club zone could include private boxes with access to food and a bar, and a press box/media zone will be included.

The arena space will also be suitable for trade shows and could hold RV or agriculture equipment. However Penner said it is not designed for livestock.

There will be no squash or racquetball courts included in the design.

Natural light will be brought into the facility through the atrium and also from the north side facing Hanover Street.

Plans continue to evolve and Penner said they’re working towards completing designs by March 2022. The project will then to go tender, but city administration hesitated to give an exact month that construction will begin.

“There’s quite a bit of work ahead of us,” Penner said.