Following years of discussion, Greater Sudbury council has finally made the decision to build a new arena/convention/events centre in the downtown rather than renovating the existing arena.
At its meeting this week, Council unanimously voted to build a new $200-million arena/events centre with permanent seating for 5,800 in the downtown core.
Mayor Paul Lefebvre said that although he’d expressed past support for renovating the existing downtown Sudbury Community Arena, the new build appeals to council because the cost of renovating the present building is almost the same.
He says the city is looking at a tentative grand opening three years from now in April 2025.
Council will now have to look at options for the old arena, including demolition.
That will be discussed at a later meeting.
Meanwhile, the bidding process for the new project will begin shortly.