Renovations coming for Ilderton Arena in 2025
At the April 3, 2024, meeting, Council authorized staff to move forward with renovations to the Ilderton Arena.
The Ilderton Arena opened 52 years ago for the single purpose of providing hockey and skating. Now a major community hub, the building is showing its age and is in need of renovations to continue providing services to residents.
Middlesex Centre is undertaking renovations with the goals of:
- extending the Ilderton Arena's lifespan for 10-12 years,
- ensuring a high level of accessibility,
- improving energy efficiency, and
- providing a high level of safety and service for both participants and spectators.
The total budget for the updates is set at $4 million, to come from the Buildings and Facilities Reserve Fund. Council had previously approved $3.6 million in the 2024 capital budget, and pre-approved the balance from the 2025 budget.
More information on the renovations is available on the municipal website. Updates, designs, drawings, and other details will be posted to the project page as they become available.
Ice Time Allocation Policy Updated
Council also approved an updated Ice Time Allocation Policy and Procedure.
Earlier this year, a task force comprising representatives from minor sport groups and adult user groups was established to review and revise the objectives and process that guide how Middlesex Centre allocates ice time at the Komoka Wellness Centre and the Ilderton Arena. The group developed a policy that assists the municipality in the equitable allocation of ice to various user groups based on their residency and participation rates, with a focus on prioritizing “youth first” access to ice time.
The new policy will come into effect for the 2024/2025 skating season.
In Brief
During the meeting, Council also:
- Received a report on the Needham Municipal Drain extension and authorized the project to move forward. The Needham Drain is located in the Bryanston area. Council also approved work on the Lenders Municipal Drain Br A (near the intersection of Charlton Dr. and New Ontario Rd.) and the McClary Drain (near Arva) to move forward and directed staff to notify affected landowners and agencies.
- Approved the use of $200,000 in additional funds from the Municipal Office Build Reserve Fund. These funds will be used to update the back hallway, existing offices and the Coldstream Community Centre meeting room floor as part of the current municipal office renovation.
- Approved a new whistleblower policy for municipal staff.
- Appointed Scrimgeour & Company as the municipal auditors for 2024-2028.
- Received information on the municipality’s Annual Repayment Limit (ARL) for 2024. The ARL is the maximum payment amount the municipality has available for debt and related interest. It is set by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as 25% of a municipality’s own-source revenue. Currently the municipality is below this limit at 5.16%.
- Received the minutes of the Community Services Advisory Committee, information on National Tourism Week in Canada, and an update from the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) regarding the Annual Energy Planning Outlook (APO)
Upcoming Meeting
Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. This meeting will be held electronically. Please contact the Office of the Clerk to attend virtually or view the livestream of the meeting on the Middlesex Centre YouTube Channel.
The next regular council meeting is set for Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Please note that regular council meetings will be held at the Ilderton Community Centre for the duration of the municipal office renovation.
Meeting times are subject to change, so please confirm with the meeting agenda when posted.
For More Information
For more details on any of these items, see the full meeting agenda or contact the Municipal Clerk. You can view the meeting YouTube.
Meeting highlights are prepared to give residents timely updates on council decisions. The Council Meeting Minutes are the official record of the meeting.