Quesnel, B.C. – The Quesnel arena project has taken another step forward.

This after the North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee unanimously agreed with a revised design developed by CEI Architecture this week.

The revised design has dropped the cost by $3.5 million for a new estimated price tag of $18.75 million.

“Project savings were achieved by removing the connecting link between Arena Two and the new arena, leaving the existing ice plant in its current location, and reducing the overall size of the building,” reads a joint City of Quesnel and Cariboo Regional District news release.”Removing the physical connection between the two arenas will allow traffic to enter the new parking lot from the north off Barlow Avenue which will result in significant savings as it is no longer necessary to upgrade parking and laneway access from the south behind Arena Two.”

The changes will shed approximately 4,000 square feet from the building but it will still retain the program requirements which include a regulation sized ice surface, two multipurpose rooms, five full sized dressing rooms, three additional flex and referee dressing rooms, and a concourse.

The new design will provide seating for 1,300 people, including a standing room capacity of 1,483.

It’s expected the construction document phase will be completed by the end of summer which will allow the project to be tendered in the fall and construction to start next spring.

Quesnel residents authorized the City to borrow up to $7.5 million over twenty years to build the facility in a referendum last June.

Quesnel Mayor and North Cariboo Joint Committee Co-Chair Bob Simpson believes there are still opportunities to drop the project’s price even further.

“With some value engineering – removing contingencies, bidding it in the fall bid window when people are going to be hungry for the 2016 construction year,” he says. “We still think we can bring the cost down to $17.5 million and then we have two opportunities to bridge that gap even without borrowing.”

One, he says they have some more reserves because of pre-taxation for the arena project and two, they have a “$6 million funding proposal into the Union of BC Municipalities gas tax fund that just opened up to allow recreation facilities to be applied for.”