With their sights set on selecting a venue operator for the planned downtown events centre/arena by the end of the year, the City of Greater Sudbury has opened a request for prequalification.
Launched last week and slated to close on Oct. 22, there has been one plan-taker for the request for prequalification so far: California-based ASM Global.
This was one of two companies to land a prequalification as venue operator for the since-cancelled Kingsway Entertainment District (a prior incarnation of the events centre which was slated to be located on The Kingsway).
The other prequalified company last time around was Pennsylvania-based OVG Facilities LLC.
In tender documents, it’s noted the venue operator will include the management, marketing and programming of the city’s planned 5,800-seat event centre, which is functionally identical to the previously proposed Kingsway Entertainment District.
In addition to sports events, the city’s tender documents indicate that “marketing to ensure maximum utilization of the venue for concerts, entertainment and other special events” should be an area of focus for its operator.
Although its mainstay tenants are slated to be sports teams, including the Sudbury Wolves and Sudbury Five, it’s planned as an events centre with various modern amenities to accommodate such things as concerts, rodeos, religious assemblies, powwows, conventions, banquets, monster truck rallies and various other large-scale activities.
Promoted by the city as a $200-million events centre, Sudbury.com will instead use $225 million as the standard figure for the development, which more accurately reflects its total projected cost. Unlike the $200-million figure, the $225-million amount includes downtown land/demolition costs and money spent on the Kingsway Entertainment District, which was cancelled by city council in 2022 when its cost doubled to $215 million.
Greater Sudbury city council will receive an update on the project during their Oct. 8 meeting.
A report for the meeting by city Growth and Infrastructure manager Tony Cecutti has been posted to the Oct. 8 meeting agenda.
Since city council’s latest update, a request for proposals has been issued and closed for the project’s architectural services. Five submissions were received and are being evaluated. It’s anticipated that an agreement will be signed by the end of November.
KKR Advisory Services has been secured with a single-source contract to work on such things as negotiating term sheets with the Sudbury Wolves and Sudbury Five and work toward the procurement of a venue operator, which the prequalification process is part of.
The advisory company is also working with the city to determine a preferred location for the events centre within the south district of Downtown Sudbury. It’s anticipated that a site will be selected in January.
“Some members of the project team toured the site, including KKR Advisors, and background information has been exchanged,” according to Cecutti’s report. “Preliminary discussions with prospective developers have commenced.”
Although the city is developing a portion of the south district lands they purchased and are in the process of levelling, not all of the lands will be earmarked for an events centre. The balance is anticipated to be used in support of ancillary services, such as a potential hotel and conference centre.
“It is reasonable to assume that additional field investigations will be conducted in the South District in the fall of this year. This additional investigation may be necessary to determine the preferred location, and it may be necessary to assist in the detailed design of the facility.”
Project costs to date total $20,812,700, which includes:
- KED project: $4.38 million
- Construction costs: $83,000
- Land acquisition and demolition costs: $16,764,000
- Consultant and internal staffing: $48,700
The land acquisition and demolition costs exclude the Wacky Wings location, which the city is in the process of expropriating. They’ve been awarded an extension until at least March.
The Oct. 8 city council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The meeting can be viewed in person at Tom Davies Square or livestreamed by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
