New jumbotron for GM Centre could be years away
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
A replacement for the aging jumbotron at the General Motors Centre may not come until 2020.
Brace yourselves Gens fans.
According to a recent city report, the dated, dimly lit monstrosity above the home of the Oshawa Generals may not be replaced until 2020.
The future funding strategy for the GM Centre, which passed through council on Dec. 14, will be referred to next year’s budget deliberations. However, the report states that “the city has not developed appropriate asset/reserve funding strategies for the GMC.”
For this reason, large amounts of money are going to be needed in the coming years to replace big ticket items of aging infrastructure.
Each year, along with covering any shortfall the GM Centre sees in its budget, the city provides the facility with $100,000 in operational funding. Under the new strategy, that number would be increased to $220,000, and in future, a reserve will be initiated to capture any surplus, which could be turned around for needed projects.
In the funding strategy, which stretches for 30 years, the big cash cows are spread out over several years.
In 2016, approximately $200,000 will be needed for interior finishes, $600,000 for a new parking lot in 2017, and the video score clock in 2020 with an estimated price tag of $820,000.
Other projects include new elevators in 2026 for $900,000 and new compressor and air conditioning units in 2027.
Mayor John Henry says that he would be willing to sit down with ownership at the Oshawa Generals to talk about bringing in a new jumbotron sooner. Negotiations took place this summer, but were unfruitful.
“For whatever reason, the plan had fallen apart,” Henry says. “It’s a big purchase and we’d be happy to work with the Generals to get it resolved.”
The past summer saw the Generals offer $60,000 for the next five years to assist the city in paying for a new clock. However, the money came at the condition that the current ad agreement, which is in place for two more years, be extended for an additional five. The current agreement sees the club keep all revenue from in-game advertising.
The city made a pair of counter offers, but the talks eventually dissolved.
The delay has many Generals fans concerned, including Robin Barnier, who was a driving force behind a petition to have the city look into replacing the clock, which has hung over the ice since the centre opened in 2006.
“I’m rather upset with the actions of council,” he said. “I’m very disappointed specifically with finance committee using the ‘defer, delay and hope you die and that it goes away’ method of dealing with this instead of grabbing the bull by the horns and doing what they should be doing for the residents of the city and as well as this team that represented us so magnificently this past year.”
The matter received no discussion at the committee level and passed through council without a word.
Barnier is also concerned Oshawa will miss its chance at hosting a Memorial Cup, which would require the clock to be replaced to occur.
“If we don’t have our ducks in a row in time for 2018, it’s going to be way past 2020 before we get another legitimate chance at the Mastercard Memorial Cup and this city and this team deserves better than that.”