Repurposing Transcona arena into farmers’ market would cost millions: report

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This article was published 10/09/2024 (411 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Transforming a former, city-owned hockey arena into an all-season farmers’ market could cost more than $5.4 million, a new report says.

Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt brought forward a motion last year asking the public service to explore repurposing the Roland Michener Arena at 1121 Wabasha St., citing an opportunity to bolster the city’s access to locally sourced produce.

“A lot of our fresh food to this day still comes — if you go to the grocery store — from south of the border. If we have another pandemic and if it’s more severe or we don’t have a vaccine, the Americans would not hesitate to shut the border down to fresh food coming north. We need to ensure we have local food security,” Wyatt told the Free Press at the time.

A third-party consultant tasked with assessing the plan found the 35,000-square foot space is structurally sound, but converting it would cost between $5.4 and $7.9 million.

“Repurposing obsolete buildings can be a fiscally prudent and environmentally responsible alternative to new construction,” reads a feasibility report, set to be reviewed by the property and development committee Friday.

“Based on the findings of the building condition assessment, it is reasonable to expect that a renovated Roland Michener Arena is capable of many more years of service.”

The report notes rezoning the property would be required for mercantile use. The arena would also need a slate of upgrades to comply with occupancy and building code regulations, including improvements to accessibility, fire suppression and washrooms.

More than 60 farmers’ markets operated throughout the province in 2023, including 13 in Winnipeg.

None of the markets operate year-round, the report says.

“A new use for Roland Michener Arena is likely to be well-received in the Transcona community and the proposed farmers’ market can be a valuable addition to any neighbourhood,” it says.

The arena was shuttered in the spring of 2015 after the city completed an expansion of the nearby Transcona East End Arena. The property was declared surplus, and the city attempted to sell it but failed to find a buyer, the report says.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca