Fate of former community centre up for debate in Goderich

The future of the Goderich Memorial Arena up for debate after it was closed late last year. CTV London's Scott Miller reports.

In 1949, Goderich’s Memorial Arena was built as a lasting tribute to Canada’s war dead. It served the community well, but after pulling the ice in 2018, structural decay forced the facility’s complete closure this January. It’s future, now up for community debate.

“Are we getting rid of the current facility to possibly building something new, or are we just are we getting rid of the facility altogether? All options are the table right now,” said Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet.

Refurbishing the 76-year-old facility is still on the table as well. The main tenant of the Memorial Arena before it was closed, Goderich’s Shuffleboard Club and its 100 members, know what they want to see happen.

“We would like to see the arena refurbished starting immediately and give us a chance to get back into playing shuffleboard,” said Goderich Shuffleboard Club President Bob Miles.

“I’d like to see it rebuilt. Yes. It’s a memorial, so keep it there,” said ardent shuffleboard player Jim Howard.

Others believe it’s time to turn the former arena into rubble to make way for housing.

“At no charge, free, we offer it to developers and the developers come in and they demolish the building and take away the hazardous waste, and they return to us a shiny new seven-storey residential building that overlooks Bannister Park. It starts generating new tax revenue for this community and helps to solve our housing problem at the same time,” said Goderich resident Steve Buchanan.

Goderich built a brand-new arena, pool, and gym complex many years ago. The Memorial Arena had been functioning as more of a community complex, hosting events since the ice was removed in 2018. But the building has long history in Goderich, and means a lot to many people, which complicates the decision awaiting council on what to do with the former community hub.

“Wayne Gretzky played hockey in that facility. Jean Beliveau was here for the 50th Young Canada Week tournament. My son actually played the very last hockey game there. I grew up playing hockey there. There’s a lot of people that have a lot of emotional attachments to that facility,” said Bazinet.

There’s no timeline or cost estimates of potential options yet. Bazinet, and the town’s Memorial Arena Task Force, anticipates having the community feedback in hand by mid-May.

“We’re not going to make a decision without knowing how much, whatever option we’re looking at, considering how much it’s going to cost, and what the tax implications are to the to the community members,” he said.