Heather Wright/The Independent

A $2 to $3 million investment could extend the life of the Greenwood Recreation Centre for another 15-20 years.

That’s the opinion of two consultants from the Largo Group from Middlesex County.
The Town of Petrolia hired the current Middlesex Centre municipal employees to take an in-depth look at the arena concerned the town may only be able to use the facility for another 5 to 10 years.

It also came as members of the hockey community asked the town to start planning for a second ice pad to help ease the pressures caused by a growing womens’ minor hockey movement.

Consultant Scott Mairs told council Monday Petrolia’s arena is in pretty good shape considering its age.
“It is well kept, and kudos to the staff over the years that have maintained that facility. The upgrades in 2017 really (were) helpful in allowing those larger change rooms to be built and give you that additional space.”

And Mairs said, with some key investments, the town could continue using the venue for another 15 to 20 years. “We feel like those targeted improvements that you could extend a life to 15 years on this facility, perhaps more.”

How much longer, Mairs said, depended on the investment. “The next step needs to be very targeted in what you’re going to focus in on,” he told council.

The report suggests accessible parking is important, suggesting creating “wider accessible parking spaces with proper loading and unloading areas, applying clearly painted pedestrian pathways to the entrance, and ensuring all curbs at access points are zero-entry.”

The consultants suggest four to six spaces be placed as close to the front entrance as possible.
And, the report suggests “evaluating opportunities to construct a new 30 to 60 space parking lot closer to the arena’s front entrance, possibly by re-purposing nearby green space.”

Once people get out of their cars, the consultants say the building has to be more accessible. They recommend automated sliding doors in the lobby, universal washrooms on the main floor and a chair lift or elevator to get to both the stands and the multi-purpose room which also serves as a bar during senior hockey games.

The report says the lower lobby also needs work with at lower counter at the concession stand and an accessible viewing area.

Mairs says the town should continue investing in the ice plant and look at energy efficiency measures like better LED lights over the arena to lower operating costs.

He expects those recommendations could come in with a price tag of between $2 to $3 million – which he acknowledges is significant for a smaller municipality.

The other option is building a new arena. Mairs’ report suggests that could start at $45 million.

He told The Independent that would only be for a single ice pad arena which is built to accommodate a second ice pad in the future.

Mairs and his partner, Justin Fidler, started their work in January. They poured through reports from other experts including engineers and accessibility experts. And they spent time at the arena understanding how it works. They also interviewed staff. That led to some revelations not made public before.

According to the consultants report “Petrolia continues to explore long-term land options for arena expansion or replacement, including Greenwood Park, lands adjacent to the YMCA, and potential future parkland from planned residential growth in the town’s southeast.”

Mairs says the town should continue its long-term planning for the day when the Greenwood will have to close.

“It’s never too early to start that process and looking at some options and looking for the land opportunities,” he said.

“What does that look like? What partnerships are going to be needed? Who’s needs to be at the table? I think those things exist now and can be addressed now, and I think that conversation can start to happen.”

And he encouraged council not just to think about the physical side of a new arena, but how they will find the cash to build it. There are grants now, but he says there are also 44 other Ontario municipalities bidding for that cash.

“Certainly community fundraising and partnerships are encouraged. We recognize..it’s not as easy as throwing the thermometer up on the front wall and saying, ‘yeah, we’ll do some fundraising’ and get there. It’s a it’s a big ask for the community.

“I think there’s some opportunities there to leverage some other partnerships and private side … I think that’s something to keep in the back of your mind, to look at that public, private partnership and to see how that can benefit the community.”

Council received the report and is expect to look at some of its recommendations during the 2026 budget deliberations.