ST. PAUL – Town of St. Paul council has voted to open the CAP Arena earlier for the 2025-26 season, following requests from sports organizations - including St. Paul Minor Hockey, St. Paul Jr. B Canadiens, and the St. Paul Figure Skating Club - to better accommodate their season schedules.
The arena, which typically opens around mid-October will open on Sept. 5.
Mitchel Bachelet, chief financial officer with the Town of St. Paul, presented the agenda item to council during the June 9 meeting, and said power and gas expenses will be higher as a result of opening the arena earlier.
Salary of Parks and Recreation department staff working at the CAP Arena will also increase because they will be starting the season earlier than usual. But Bachelet said the increased costs will be offset by saving money through the Town's other departments.
A potential concern for opening the arena earlier is reduced staff availability for year-end closures in the other areas of the town.
"This could result in added costs if we need to retain seasonal staff longer than usual to complete all required duties," said Bachelet, because September is usually a busy month for Parks staff who will be busy opening arenas, closing sports fields, performing annual pool maintenance, and cleaning up after the rodeo weekend.
"Delaying the opening of Clancy Arena by one week may help alleviate some of the pressure on staff during this busy period," he noted.
Coun. Ron Boisvert, who also sits on the CAP Arena's committee, said one thing to consider with opening the arena earlier is if the weather gets too hot, "It's going to take a lot of lifespan off that [ice] plant."
Prior to the arena's operations transferred over to town, Boisvert said the arena's committee refused similar requests due to concerns with the ice plant.
Boisvert also said that once the nearby Clancy Arena is operational, the demand for ice time at the CAP Arena will significantly decrease. He estimates that the CAP Arena might only be utilized at about 50 to 60 per cent capacity during that period, particularly until November, which is when tournaments typically begin.
This means that while there may be some usage of the CAP Arena, it will not be fully occupied, leading to potential inefficiencies in operations and resource allocation.
Boisvert said rodeo week, which coincides with the Labour Day weekend, also brings added challenge, because by the time it ends, it takes about two or three weeks to clean up the arena and put in the ice, but spoke in favour of the Town hosting the rodeo, saying, "The rodeo brings a lot to the community."
Coun. Gary Ward, who sits on both the CAP Arena's committee as well as St. Paul Minor Hockey's board of directors, said all three organizations have committed to their regular ice time bookings after the Clancy Richard Arena opens.
Ward explained some of the reasons for the request from the three organizations to open the arena earlier. He said both the St. Paul Minor Hockey's AA program and the St. Paul Canadiens start their seasons on Sept. 19. But with the Glendon arena still going through renovations this fall, "Basically, they've got no place to practice."
He said players would have to travel to other arenas, like Goodfish or Saddle Lake, to practice.
Coun. Brad Eamon acknowledged Boisvert's concerns, and encouraged council to find a balance.
"It's getting tougher and tougher because our sports teams are further and further pushed back, and we're behind." Eamon said while other sports teams from other communities are heading to tournaments, "we're just getting on the ice."
Coun. Nathan Taylor acknowledged the demand for ice time, including extending the ice season at the CAP Arena. There are also arguments to build more facilities or rinks to accommodate the demand, but Taylor argued that it is more practical to upgrade existing facilities, which would be cheaper.
Any options come with financial costs, he said, which may involve charging sports clubs more for extra ice time in the long run, if the clubs would be willing to do so.
Taylor also suggested collaboration with the County of St. Paul.
Overall, Taylor said council has to strongly consider financial impacts moving forward. "The goal of this is not to say no to them. The goal of this is to say yes," Taylor said. "But how do we afford to do that?"
Taylor suggested that if the Town were to approve the request at the current rate pay, the Town may have to make it clear to user groups to expect a pay rate review for the next season.
Mayor Maureen Miller agreed.
"[If] user groups want to use it sooner, then there has to be an accountability," she said. "It's going to wear the plant sooner. We have to put money away for it . . . that's valid for me."
Following more discussion, council approved Coun. Norm Noel's motion to open the CAP Arena earlier this upcoming season.
