It was gratifying to see that the ribbon cutting for the Credit Union CUPlex took place recently in North Battleford. For anyone not from that area, this four component complex is the Battlefords' new recreational complex.
I spent significant time writing stories about this project's genesis, starting in 2004, back when I was the city hall reporter for the Battlefords News-Optimist for five years. I took to calling it the multiplex, since, at the time, that's what it was - multiple facilities under one roof, similar to the Gallagher Centre in Yorkton or Commonwealth Centre in Lloydminster (at the time, both similar in size to the Battlefords, but since then Lloydminster has grown much, much larger). Proponents back then liked to bandy about the awkward "multipurpose recreational facility," because in the 21st century, no one can have a simple name for anything.
What the ribbon was eventually cut for, however, no longer fits the multiplex definition, because the end result was a collection of facilities that just happened to be within spitting distance of one another.
And this is where I think a lot of opportunity was lost. So much time was wasted jawboning about this project that costs shot through the roof, figuratively, so they got rid of the "under one roof," literally.
This is Canada. We have snow up to six months of the year. Why on earth wouldn't you want such a facility under one roof?
What was gained by waiting so long to move on this project, one the community knew had to be done at some point or another? Less. Less was gained. The community got less for its money as construction inflation rapidly outpaced efforts to get money from other levels of government. The initial projected cost was $30 million in 2005. Waiting meant the project came in at $59 million, and it still wasn't a common building. The money raised from the provincial and federal governments didn't come close to covering the cost of construction inflation since 2005.
What could have been added for the difference in price? A state-of-the-art hockey arena, for one. The one completed in Estevan a few years ago cost around $22 million. It started construction around the same time as the CUPlex. The Battlefords will still need a new arena at some point, and it's a pretty good bet it's going to cost a lot more than $22 million down the road.
They also lost time. My daughter hadn't even been born yet when I first wrote about this. She just turned nine. Nine years is too long to make something like this come together. From the time the idea was first pitched to council to the ribbon cutting was just a little less than the total time Canada fought in both the First and Second World Wars combined. Is it really that hard to be decisive and just do things for the common good? I guess in a time where a simple pipeline like Keystone XL spends five years in approvals before dirt is even scratched, I have my answer.
Through this and other projects I have learned a hard maxim - infrastructure projects will always cost way more in the future than they do today. Waiting seldom, if ever, works to your advantage, financially.
I'm really happy the Battlefords now have their recreational complex. I just wish it hadn't taken so long to come to fruition.
- Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at [email protected].
