Potential lifeline unveiled to keep beloved Beeton arena open

The Beeton Community Memorial Centre may have a new lease on life after facing a doubtful future amid costly structural issues.

Councillors may have found an answer at Monday's meeting.

"The council agreed we have a Beeton Community Replacement Fund that has about $700,000 in it, so we're going to look at making the necessary emergency repairs over the winter into the spring to give more life to our facility until we can decide what to do in the future," explained New Tecumseth Mayor Richard Norcross.

"I thought that there was no way this was going to be resurrected," said New Tecumseth Ball Hockey League President Carlo Carlucci.

• RELATED | Structural issues may force closure of Beeton arena

To the surprise of local community groups at council fighting for the arena, a new player emerged to ensure an efficient short-term solution.

"At the end of the night, there were two representatives that stood up and said that a local business came forward in the development industry that wants to make a financial donation to the capital costs of keeping the community centre alive and keeping it going for a few more years," said Norcross.

"Council was concerned about funding and using taxpayer money, so when that was alleviated, I don't think the councillors had any pushback in the sense of a reason why not to make every effort to fix the facility," added Carlucci.

The president of Flato Developments said Beeton is a community close to his heart, and he wants youth to be able to enjoy hockey and other activities.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

Meanwhile, user groups will need to find temporary homes with the arena closed this winter for repairs and the town searching for a long-term answer.

"It's rather clear that it's needed because we just don't have the hours in the other facilities to accommodate all the use groups, let alone any future groups that want to come and start their activities," said Carlucci.

According to the mayor, the community centre is more than just a hockey arena.

"It provides so many recreational activities to all the members of our community. Plus, it's a community meeting place. It's where we come to meet our friends. You meet new friends. We celebrate our heritage, and we celebrate our community," said Norcross.

In a statement, the Beeton Athletic Association said it is encouraged by Monday's council meeting and the tangible progress toward getting New Tecumseth back to 100 per cent capacity for ice, adding it is now relying on the town to work with any external organizations willing to contribute financially to the facility replacement.