Tender issued for work to allow for concerts at Memorial Gardens

The ability to hold concerts at Memorial Gardens is the focus of a tender that has been issued by the city.

Chair of Community Services Mark King says despite the recent renovations to the arena there’s work that needs to be done to be able to bring in concerts.

He says the project involves increased support systems and electrical to allow for speakers to be hanging from the roof section. The city has received a million dollars from Ottawa for the project.

Meantime, three city arenas and the aquatic centre will be undergoing a structural engineering assessment. The city has issued a Request for Proposal for that work.

King says the reality is West Ferris Arena is an older facility. He says they learned in the budget process that it costs about double the amount of money it takes to operate Pete Palangio Arena — which has two ice pads.

As for future possibilities, King says he’s very interested in watching what transpires as far as the college and university is concerned with potential ice surfaces and if there’s an opportunity for the city to somehow be involved in the proccess.