With the Innisfail Eagles season now over team officials are now asking serious questions about planned upgrades and renovations to the arena that were identified by the town last fall.
“They've got to do something. There's got to be some input from the town,” said Vern Loughlean, assistant general manager with the team. “Our number 1 concern is the dressing room -- we don't have our own dressing room and we've got to have our own dressing room.
“That's very important in recruiting players,” he added.
Last summer Innisfail council accepted a report from Red Deer's JMAA Architecture Ltd. and agreed to consider it at budget deliberations. Council was told the estimated cost for the proposed arena upgrades was $375,150.17.
The report contained a section on future renovations and upgrades at the Innisfail Arena that included a plan for a new Eagles hockey team room, offices, a community use area and upgrades to the main lobby.
Innisfail mayor Brian Spiller said it is important to address such issues and needed renovations but they will not happen this year as expected.
Prior to budget talks this year an important federal grant application made by the town for upgrades and renovations at the arena was rejected.
“We applied the project towards that grant program and we were denied,” said Spiller. “We're gradually going to pick away at them (upgrades and renovations) one item at a time as we can afford them,” he added.
At present, the Eagles share a dressing room with skaters, minor hockey and other users.
“If we had our own dressing room we'd pull up to the arena (after a road game), we'd have all that help (from players) and our equipment could be unloaded,” he said. “It would be a big improvement.”
Eagles president Dusty Daines said there are some areas of concern in addition to the team dressing room, including seating.
“We really need to accommodate these fans that are wanting to come out and support their team,” said Daines. “That's a loss in revenue when you can't accommodate everyone.
“You want to accommodate people and do an excellent job of it,” she added. “You don't want people going away from here discouraged by our facilities.
“It's not only for us, it's for the town as well. These people gas up their vehicles, they eat in town, they shop, they stay at hotels,” said Daines. “The arena is a huge draw for the town.”
Spiller said they will need to prioritize items for upgrades, and that mechanical items such as furnaces that need replacing in the near future are top considerations. If budgets allow, a hockey team room and possible seating issues may be addressed, but he noted it may not be practical or feasible to increase seating for the number of games played per season.
In previous talks with the Eagles organization, he noted the team requested a larger space and other requirements for a dressing room, which he feels should not be the town's or taxpayers' responsibility.
“If a club wants their own separate dressing room they should be coming forward with the money. It shouldn't be on the taxpayer of Innisfail,” he said. “I know it is our building and we would help out some, but we are not going to foot one hundred per cent of that bill.”
Spiller said the town did offer a suggestion for a new dressing room that would meet most of the Eagles' requirements, including storage and access, but talks are currently at a standstill. Portable seating has been used in previous years and needs to be discussed again, if there is a need for it.
“I know they are getting a lot of support out there from the community and the surrounding community to watch their games, but they'd have to come back to council with a plan and show us how much money they'd be contributing to it too,” he added.
“I know with anything we do in town, if we have participation buy-in on whatever kind of project, we're more liable to help out,” said Spiller. “We have to look at the whole picture and what's best for the whole town -- not what's good for me or my friends, council or one club only.”
Mayor Brian Spiller
"If a club wants their own separate dressing room they should be coming forward with the money. It shouldn't be on the taxpayer of Innisfail."
