Randy Sexton, executive director of CSMI, signs the contract for construction of the West Carleton Community Complex while Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli; Wally Ferris, parks-recreation manager, and Ken Hoppner, vice president, Morley Hoppner Group look on.

by Todd Anderson

Capital Sports Management Inc. has partnered with the public sector once again to support community initiatives in the National Capital Region.

CSMI, along with the City of Ottawa and Morley Hoppner Group, broke ground on Monday morning on a new public-private partnership (P3) facility in West Carleton. The West Carleton Community Complex will be built at the Kinburn Client Service Centre site and will include a sports field, an indoor ice pad, a paramedic post and meeting rooms for private or community events. Construction and design will also allow for the addition of a second ice pad in the future.

"This is the first step of what will be a fabulous facility for your community," CSMI executive director Randy Sexton said to a group of project supporters during the groundbreaking. "(CSMI and the Ottawa Senators) are going to be here for 20 years, we are going to work our tails off."

CSMI, which also operates the Bell Sensplex facility in Kanata and is part of the Capital Sports Group of Companies that owns and operates the Ottawa Senators and Scotiabank Place facility, will operate and maintain all public areas of the West Carleton complex including the indoor arena, outdoor field, grounds and meeting rooms. Morley Hoppner Group, based in West Carleton, will design and build the facilities.

The early stages of the project have been closely followed by West Carleton councilor Eli El-Chantiry.

"I can't hold my excitement," he said while emceeing the groundbreaking ceremony. "This facility provides the community with its needs for the present and the future."

City manager Kent Kirkpatrick is proud to see construction ready to begin.

"It's very gratifying to see this accomplished and the beginning of it being built. In 12 months we have gone from searching for the right partner to putting the first shovel in the ground. Today's groundbreaking demonstrates what can happen for a community when citizens, the city and the private sector find innovative ways to work together to meet local needs."

Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli is excited that the city, along with the private companies, was able to put together an agreement to build.

"Today is not about bricks and mortar. Today is about people. It's about people who worked really hard to make this happen. People who care about the community, care about their kids and care about the quality of life in their community. I would like to compliment CSMI for their leadership. They've done this before, and they are doing it again. There will be skating in that arena sometime in 2007 and I will be here with my skates on to say ‘thank you'."

Joining Chiarelli, Sexton and Chantiry in the groundbreaking ceremony was Wally Ferris, parks and recreation manager, City of Ottawa; Ken Hoppner, vice president of the Morley Hoppner Group; Pierre Poirier, deputy chief, Ottawa Paramedic Service; Ottawa Senators ambassador of fun Spartacat; Brad Morley, president of the Morley Hoppner Group; and Rob MacKay, strategic projects manager, City of Ottawa.