REGINA – A spokesperson for the Regina Pats are staying tight-lipped on whether the team’s owners are looking into building a new arena.
“We’re not here to comment on rumours and speculation in regards to a new stadium. That’s simply the way it is. Those are rumours at this point, and that’s it,” said Mark Rathwell, vice president of communications for the WHL team.
The rumour mill was stirred over the weekend after the Regina Leader Post reported, using unnamed sources, that a significant upgrade to the Brandt Centre or a brand new home for the team is being looked at.
Rathwell pegged the average number of fans per game at the arena at about 4,300 this year, a 10 per cent improvement from last year. A sell-out crowd constitutes about 6,200 seats filled.
“We’ve got room to grow, and that’s our focus right now,” he said of the team’s fan base.
Mayor Michael Fougere said that part of a report going to city council Monday night would have Evraz Place repair part of the aging building.
“At some point it just simply wears out, like the current Taylor Field,” he said. “Do you build new, do you repair, what do you want to do? And we’re coming to that crossroads in the next couple of years.”
Discussions relating to the centre’s future will be led by Evraz Place using a master plan. The first phase focused on the Co-Operators Centre.
“The second phase is going to see, hopefully, a new Agribition building,” said Fougere, adding that the following phase will likely focus on the Brandt Centre and whether it should be refurbished, expanded, or replaced.
The Leader Post also reported that the 17.5-acre Canadian Pacific Rail Lands, the focus of a city renewal project, could be the site of a new arena.
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