Proctor school district residents will be asked Tuesday to approve $12 million in athletics upgrades via a bond referendum.
The bulk of that would go toward a new hockey arena, with $1.3 million slated for artificial turf at Egerdahl Field and another $250,000 split among Canosia, Midway, Solway and Grand Lake townships for field upgrades.
Proponents of a new arena point to deficiencies and safety hazards, including heaving ice and a failing roof, in the 45-year-old Proctor Arena on Boundary Avenue. Some residents, including new mayor Phil Larson, have questioned the site chosen for an arena, suggesting that it be built in closer proximity to other athletic facilities.
Proposed is a 44,000-square-foot arena on nearly 40 acres of district-owned land off Kirkus Street, in the southern part of town. The primary use would be for hockey, but a community room is planned and indoor turf for soccer and other activities would likely be available a few months out of the year.
EARLIER COVERAGE
ADVERTISEMENT
Proctor eyes new hockey arena, other sports facilities
---
At Egerdahl, the artificial turf would expand options for the site, allowing for earlier play for spring sports and the football teams use of the field for practice. Currently, the field is saved for games to prevent damage. Proctor's new lacrosse team also would be able to have home games. Township improvements include a tennis court and new ball fields.
The cost to the owner of a $150,000 home would be about $47 per year over 20 years, and the owner of a $250,000 home would pay about $87 a year. The owner of a $250,000 business would pay roughly $157 a year.
The current Proctor Arena, owned by the city of Proctor and managed by the South St. Louis County Fair Board, would not be torn down.
This will be the second time in less than five years the district has gone to voters for money. In 2012, more than 60 percent of district voters approved the refinancing of an existing bond to extend another seven years debt meant to expire in 2023. The end result was $7.9 million in new money to pay for an addition and renovations to Bay View Elementary School.
Voter approval of the project, said Proctor schools superintendent John Engelking, would do "an enormous amount of good" for students and the community, with the expectation that hockey and other athletic programs would grow and more cash would flow to area businesses.
"We are in the state of hockey," he said. "We need to be able to compete."
