Memorial Arena Past

1959 - Belleville McFarland Pete Connacher shoots the puck at goalie Jack McCartan. Photo from bellevillemcfarlands.ca.

* 1920: Belleville Arena Ltd. purchases the property for $6,000.

* 1929: The hockey arena officially opens on Dec. 6.

* 1946: Originally known as the Hume Arena, the arena is renamed the Memorial Arena in recognition of local men who were killed in the First and Second World Wars.

* 1958: A $215,000 plan to replace the arena's seating, the heating system and a renovation to the entrance is rejected by city council.

* 1959: The Belleville McFarlands hockey team, whose home arena was the Memorial, win the World Hockey Championship in March, 1959 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

* 1967: A new concrete slab is poured to support the ice surface at the arena.

* 1971: The City of Belleville decides not to move ahead with a proposed plan that would turn the Memorial Arena into a "community centre". The estimated cost of the project was $890,000.

* 1977: City council agrees to spend $26,000 in renovations to the Memorial Arena to ensure safety standards are met.

* 1978: Mayor Ben Corke faces heavy criticism after he refers to the Memorial Arena as a "fire trap". He later publicly apologizes for the comment.

* 1986: Council endorses a plan to spend $37,000 on ice making equipment at the facility.

* 1989: A report completed by parks and recreation staff recommends turning the Memorial Arena into a possible bus terminal or the new home for the Belleville Farmer's Market.

* 1993: A new report created by parks and recreation staff suggests the Memorial could be closed due to operational costs and be used for "other municipal purposes or sold".

* 2005: Bary Bryan Associates complete a feasibility study and review of the Memorial Arena suggesting it will cost $5.7 million to renovate the facility and maintain it as an arena.

* 2008: City council is told $7.6 million is the estimated cost of construction needed at the arena to see it continue to operate as an arena.

* 2010: Equipment failure forces arena to shut down.

(Source: "Memorial Arena", The Intelligencer. Dec 27, 2008.)

 

Renée Rodgers | December, 2011