Morinville may have a buyer for the old Ray McDonald arena – one that would give the old rink a new lease on life.
Following a special closed council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 6, Morinville council asked administration to negotiate a sales agreement for the Ray McDonald Sports Centre arena to an unnamed third party.
Town council decided to build the Morinville Leisure Centre in large part to replace the Ray McDonald arena, which was falling apart and required costly repairs. The town formally closed the arena in March. While the sports centre's curling rink is still active, council has earmarked $2 million under its capital plan to demolish the arena in 2020.
Morinville Mayor Barry Turner said he called Tuesday’s meeting because the town had received a letter of intent from "a group of potential owners" who wanted to buy the arena and keep it operational. He was not able to disclose the group's name.
"It's not a decision to sell, it's a decision to enter into negotiations," Turner said, adding council had not set any timeline for those talks.
This sale, should it go through, would save the town about $2 million in demolition costs and net Morinville an additional arena, Turner said. Still, engineering reports have found that the arena would need extensive upgrades to continue operation, and it will be up to the buyers if they want to take on those costs. The town does not plan to sell the curling rink part of the sports centre, which is still operational and run by the Morinville Curling Club.
Turner said administration would bring the draft sales agreement to council for review once it is complete.
Questions on the potential sale should go to Turner at [email protected].
