Permanent skating oval approved for North Common
Posted Mar 29, 2011 02:42:24 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The speed-skating oval on the Common is here to stay. City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to make the outdoor skating rink a permanent fixture on Halifax’s North Common.
Phase one of the project, creating the ice surface, is going to cost the city nearly $4.3 million. That money will come out of the 2011-12 budget. Phase two, with landscaping and amenities, is estimated to cost $1.4 million in 2012-13. City staff has pegged the annual operating cost for each following year at $420,000.
To cover the cost, the city is looking at a tax increase of 0.8 cents on $100 value. That’s the worst case scenario and is expected to cost the average home owner about $7 a year.
The city is still working out sponsorship agreements. The oval should be ready by December 2011.
