The Friends of the Plex, a local committee of volunteers, has been hard at work for the past year developing plans for a year-round indoor sports multiplex and new arena to be built in the Town of Niverville. Working alongside Town Council, they are currently in the fundraising stages.
These multiplex and new arena facilities are to be constructed alongside the existing Niverville Centennial Arena.
The new 33,000-square-foot arena sits at the center of the proposed plan, with an ice surface measuring 85 by 200 feet and accompanying dressing rooms equipped with washrooms and showers.
The adjacent multiplex will contain 36,000 square feet of floor space and feature a running track as well as space that can be easily converted into a 15,000-square-foot indoor soccer field, two basketball courts, four volleyball courts, and six badminton courts. Netting and curtains can be erected between sports activities. In addition to warm-up and training areas, the multiplex plan also calls for six dressing rooms.
A mezzanine level will provide casual seating for 250 spectators on the multiplex side, and 600 spectators on the arena side. The common area fronting the property will include an extensive multilevel children’s playground feature.
“The side-by-side plan is the more cost-effective solution,” says Kerry Church, spokesperson for Friends of the Plex. He says a number of other potential site plans were considered. “This ties well into construction phasing and best leverages the existing arena.”
The focal point of the building’s exterior is undoubtedly the re-creation of Niverville’s original grain elevator, which will serve as the main entrance. This heritage feature harkens back to 1879, when William Hespeler put Niverville on the map by constructing Western Canada’s very first grain elevator. The round structure was a one of a kind.
“We have a very creative committee,” says Church. “We thought, ‘What are the things we can do to generate a broad range of support? What is the symbol that is Niverville?’ The grain elevator, historically, is something that is part of our roots.”
The existing arena will remain operational throughout the construction process, with a link provided between it and the new common area. This link will allow for the continued use of existing office and meeting areas, maintenance areas, and dressing rooms.
In short, these new facilities are spacious, flexible, and ambitious. And of course, they won’t come cheap.
The price tag is a cool $16 million, excluding future plans to refurbish the old arena. The Town of
Niverville has pledged the first $5 million, seed money to get the ball rolling.
“The Town is pleased to be donating toward such a terrific project that truly meets the needs of our community,” says Mayor Myron Dyck. “The donation will be drawn from the existing Recreation Infrastructure Reserve Fund, which Council has been building for a few years, and from new monies that will need to be borrowed to top up the difference.”
No new taxes are planned.
Since the detailed plan was unveiled last September, the Friends of the Plex have begun their fundraising efforts in earnest, reaching out to members of the community and other levels of government.
“We’re going to have to be aggressive with fundraising,” Church adds. He says it is important to move as quickly as possible in order for the project to maintain strong momentum.
The group expects the fundraising will take at least 18 months.
Three volunteer information sessions have been held so far, with the most recent taking place on Saturday, February 20. In total, the group would like to engage about 100 volunteers.
