Work starting on Tache multiplex utilities

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This article was published 07/11/2023 (884 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is happening.

After decades of hearing that a new arena is coming to Lorette, residents should finally see utility work starting in the next few weeks.

Coun. Steven Stein said facilities manager Heiko Zinn gave an update to council Oct. 31 that Hydro will soon be on site and installing services for the new Tache Community Centre.

“We’ve been led along so many times that this is happening, but this time it is happening. There is work here getting done. We’ve spent close to $1 million so far and we haven’t even put the shovel in the ground, so it’s happening,” said Stein.

Stein is on the fundraising committee. He said with members dropping off after delays in moving the project forward, the committee will need to be reformed. Council will also be looking at hiring a consultant to lobby businesses for the big dollars required for the project estimated to cost $28.5 million.

Construction tenders are out and scheduled to come back in January, so firmer numbers are yet to come.

Stein also said grassroots fundraising is on hold until the sign for the complex goes up, adding residents can be forgiven for a wait and see attitude towards donations.

The effort to build an arena has been a long-time work in progress up to this point.

“It’s well over 20 years, and we feel that – those of us who’ve lived here – until they see a sign up or work getting done, people still don’t believe this is actually happening,” said Stein.

The Province has approved their wording on the sign touting their contribution to the project, and now Tache is waiting for federal approval.

The federal government is contributing $4.4 million, but there may not be a specific number attached from the Province. An election promise from the NDP to raise its contribution an extra $5 million from the $3.67 million already pledged by the previous government has yet to be confirmed.

Premier Wab Kinew made the promise with NDP candidate Chris Wiebe, who lost the Dawson Trail riding to Progressive Conservative incumbent MLA Bob Lagasse.

“We’ll definitely be putting their feet to the fire on that one and going, ‘Hey guys, you came out here and made a promise,’” said Stein.

Going with numbers that did not include the election promise, $20 million needs to be raised by the RM borrowing, a new tax levy, and fundraising.

The longest-serving councillor in Tache explained how this has been a long time coming.

“I’ve worked on this since day one on council and I remember trying to convince the council at the time to provide close to seven acres over there at an almost million-dollar cost, and that was a hard sell then,” explained Stein.

“We pulled that off but when you look back, it was 13 years to get where we are today, and that’s a long time.”

The final design approved by council that is now out to tender includes a new ice rink, six change rooms, an indoor walking track, seniors area with kitchen, multi-purpose space for things like taekwondo, and a new 8,000-sq.ft. library all to be built in a two-storey complex beside the current Lorette Community Centre.

The 62,000-sq.-ft. arena will have enough bleachers to seat 300.