The Regional District of Central Kootenay is pledging to maximize ice time for all user groups once the Pioneer Arena closes next year, while a local physician says the new medical clinic to be built on that site should attract new health professionals to the area.
The City of Castlegar announced this week that a four-storey mixed-use building will go up where the Pioneer now stands, with clinic space on the ground floor and housing on the upper levels. However, it will finally spell the end of the old arena, built in the 1950s.
RDCK community services manager Joe Chirico said while the Pioneer’s demise has long been expected due to its age and condition, there was still “a bit of shock” when ice user groups were notified Tuesday.
He said they want to start discussions ahead of the 2024-25 season about fitting as many users as possible into the city’s lone remaining sheet of ice.
Chirico said there is currently unused ice time at the recreation complex and they are committed to making it available so long as someone wants to use it.
“Right now we’re not seeing high uptake of ice in the morning or late in the evenings,” he said. “If a group wants to be there till early morning we will be there. As long as the ice times are clustered in a way that we can make efficient use of the space, we will operate it.”
The RDCK will also start another planning process with residents of Castlegar and surrounding rural areas I and J to determine priorities for expansion or additions to the community complex.
Referendums in 2010 and 2018 on building a new ice rink were both defeated, but Chirico said removing the Pioneer from the equation may change the way the community thinks.
“When you do surveys or referendums, what is available influences the decisions,” he said. “When you take something out of the mix, that changes the conversation. It could be that it will spark the community in a different way once the Pioneer is not there.”
The Pioneer will remain in service through the end of the season unless something happens to the building itself, Chirico said. However, “this building is definitely at end of life. The community needs to move on and find the best use of that property.”
He said some ice users were critical this week that the RDCK was not ready to go to referendum again on alternative, but the group also started to talk about how to use the rec complex ice “as effectively and efficiently” as possible.
Meanwhile, a member of Castlegar’s physician recruiting group says the new clinic is precisely the sort of thing to help lure young graduates to the area.
Dr. Ellen Smart said the new building is expected to consolidate the city’s existing clinics, which currently operate in older facilities, with room for other health practitioners.
“We have old buildings which allow us to keep things a little more affordable but they weren’t built to do modern medicine or the things we call team-based care,” she said.
While the city has succeeded in recruiting new doctors and as of last year stood at an all-time high of 17, Dr. Smart said it still isn’t enough to ensure everyone has a family doctor. Finding additional people means recognizing what they are looking for, she said.
“More than any gift basket, they need a sense of community and support. They also want to work in team-based care. Having a space where you can do that effectively is a huge draw.”
Dr. Smart said there is already a lot of collaboration between the clinics, which is encouraging to new doctors, but they are pressed for space.
She also said they need to make sure lease costs in the new space don’t rise above what they’re presently paying.
“One important factor in recruiting is you can’t have a new grad with $200,000 in debt coming to work in a very expensive place. We have to keep our overhead reasonable. As long as we can get the lease to where we are currently, it’s a go from the physician side.”
Dr. Smart said they are also excited about the housing component to the project and while it will mean the project takes longer to complete, they feel it’s critical.
“All the physicians love working in Castlegar. We have a great community and we’re grateful to be here and for all the effort and generosity that has gone into making this a possibility.”
