Final agreements for Calgary event centre released, construction pegged to start this year
The big details that will choreograph construction and operation of Calgary’s event centre block were released Thursday, setting the stage for the city’s stated plan of breaking ground on the project this year.
The final agreements were signed last October between the City of Calgary, the Government of Alberta, the Calgary Stampede and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), which owns the NHL’s Calgary Flames — but were only made public today.
The details are laid out in 16 documents, some of which are heavily redacted to “protect sensitive and proprietary information about the project’s partners.”
“Calgarians who review these agreements will see a lot of familiar information,” said Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, in a release. “Much of the information contained in these agreements was released in October 2023 with the announcement of final agreements.”
Other documents range from tax agreements to event management and road usage agreements. In a statement, Stuart Dalgleish, chief operating officer and steering committee member for the event centre, said 2024 will be a big year for the project.
“Along with the event centre, these are critical investments that, together, lay the foundation necessary as we progress towards a city of two million people,” he said, citing other projects in progress in downtown Calgary, such as the expanded BMO Convention Centre and the renovated Victoria Park/Stampede LRT Station.
WATCH | After officials announced a deal to replace the Saddledome, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek explained the project:
According to the city, permits and a design will take place sometime between the spring and summer of this year. Construction is targeted to take place between summer and fall.
In January, the city began enabling works and preparation activities to prepare the site for construction. That involved relocating Fifth Street S.E. between 14th Avenue and 12th Avenue approximately half a block to the east to make space for the eventual event centre block, which will take up 10 acres (4 hectares).
In April 2023, an agreement in principle was reached that would see the city and CSEC fund a new event centre. The provincial government will contribute $330 million toward infrastructure in a new entertainment district and the cost of a new community rink attached to the event centre.
The city will put up $537 million, while CSEC will contribute $40 million upfront as well as $17 million in yearly lease payments to the city over 35 years, which will escalate by one per cent each year.
More to come.
View original article here Source