K-ROCK CENTRE (REGIONAL SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE)
About The Sports & Entertainment Centre
ALSO IN THIS SECTION
Return to the K-Rock Centre Archive's main site.
Return to the K-Rock Centre home page.
Visit the official website of the K-Rock Centre for event information.
DESIGN
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The design proposed by Ellis Don Construction and Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects and selected by City Council on May 30, 2006.
Work began on Kingston's Sports and Entertainment Centre in late August of 2006, with local archaeologists exploring the site for pieces of Kingston's historic past. Now, with a commitment of $4 million from the Ontario government, the $46.1-million centre is slated to open in December of 2007.
The Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre will provide the facilities needed for such major events as concerts and shows, Ontario Hockey League games, professional and competitive figure skating, conferences, trade shows, job fairs and other community events. It will also be the new home of the Kingston Frontenacs hockey team and include artifacts from the local Sports Hall of Fame.
It will accommodate up to 6,800 people with 5,000 in the arena bowl and another 1,800 on the floor for concerts and shows. The largest gathering place in the corridor between Oshawa and the Quebec border, it will highlight Kingston's position as a natural stopping point for major touring artists, reinforcing the city's role as the leading community in southeastern Ontario.
Most significantly, the facility will be located downtown on city-owned land just three blocks north of the main downtown business artery, Princess Street. Studies from other sports and entertainment centres in Ontario and the United States suggest that entertainment centres thrive best as part of a cluster of restaurants, clubs, hotels and related amenities. Downtown Kingston offers the type of environment that ensures patrons enjoy a complete entertainment experience — benefiting the local economy and the operation of the facility itself.
Similar centres in other cities have generated significant municipal revenues and provided cultural and entertainment experiences for their residents and the residents of surrounding communities. Study estimates indicate that the centre will have an annual regional economic impact on tourism activity of $15 to $20 million. While under construction, the project will create 600 person-years of work and once open, 450 full- and part-time jobs in the community as well as 15 jobs in the facility itself.
The financial breakdown for the $46.1-million project is as follows:
- $24.8 million debt, to be repaid from parking revenues and user fees.
- $4 million in Provincial Government Grants.
- $3 million from the Downtown Kingston BIA.
- $3 million from the Kingston Accommodation Partners Inc.
- $3 million in development charges.
- $6.3 million from Reserve Funds (municipal savings account).
- $2 million from private donations.
The federal government is also considering a request to assist in the funding of the centre.
On an annual basis, operating and capital costs will be fully recovered from user charges with no impact to the tax bill.
The team chosen to design and build the sports and entertainment centre is Ellis-Don Construction with Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects. The facility operator will be Arcturus/SMG, a management consortium committed to allowing the community to participate in event and entertainment planning through a community advisory group. The company operates more than 40 similar facilities across North America, and provides a network to theatre, performance and concerts events.
The building's environmental specifications are also being designed to warrant a silver certificate for leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), ensuring that environmental impacts and energy consumption are minimized.
