Uncertain future for Hamilton’s Eastwood Arena concerns athletes

The City of Hamilton says Eastwood Arena in the city’s north end will be temporarily closing on April 15. But with no reopening date set, the sports teams who use the arena are worried it will be closed permanently.

“I’ve been hearing from all the city operators that as of April 15, they are demolishing Eastwood and it will be no longer,” says Chantel Trowbridge with Hamilton Ball Hockey.

Eastwood Arena is a non-ice arena in the city’s north end. While it may be old with a leaky roof and heating issues – it’s home to Hamilton Lacrosse, Hammer City Roller Derby and Hamilton Ball Hockey.

“It means a lot to me because we have built our entire team in this rink,” says hockey player Daxel Stevenson.

“It means a lot to me because I grew up playing here,” says hockey player Maddox Gervais.

“It is one of the very few pieces of infrastructure that can support our sport and what we need to play games and in order to practice regularly,” says Mandy McIsaac with Hammer City Roller Derby.

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The city says a comprehensive assessment will be done to determine the feasibility of the arena for continued use, including financial considerations.

“I do not want to see it closed, this is core infrastructure for our league, it’s basically our hub of operations,” says Britt Da Silva with Hammer City Roller Derby.

The City of Hamilton tells CHCH News in an email that all programming would be ending on April 15 at the arena and so far no decision has been made yet on the permanent closure.

Several people are weighing in, including players and coaches.

“The arena means a lot to me,” says hockey player McKenna Yallup. “I’ve been playing here for many years and it’s important to have something in Hamilton and close by that gives you the opportunity to be active.”

“There are people who this is their social gathering spot, they come here on a Sunday. There are people here, this is the only time they are seeing some of their friends,” says Coach Pat Deluca.

“You have people here who can’t afford ice hockey.”

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“We will have nowhere to go, we will have to seek private facilities in the area and pay close to 5 to 6 times what we are paying at Eastwood,” says Joel Firmin with Hamilton Lacrosse Association.

City Councillor Cameron Kroetsch says he’s meeting with staff in a couple of days and should have some more information to pass along then.

“We will be looking at this over the next few months to come up with a plan for September. There is the possibility that we could keep the facility open for another year,” says Kroetsch.

“But we are not sure yet and that year may be plagued by issues, where if something fails or becomes a safety risk then we have to close it down.”

“The assessment will take into account the City’s Recreation Master Plan, which includes Eastwood Arena in its medium – to long-term planning horizon as being replaced with a community recreation centre,” says the Director of Recreation for the City of Hamilton, Steve Sevor in a statement.

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