Quesnel, B.C. – It’s been talked about for years, and now it’s actually going to happen.

Yesterday afternoon there was a ground-breaking for a new arena in Quesnel, the $20.6 million West Fraser Centre.

Plans for the project have undergone several interpretations over the years, including a lost referendum on a multi-centre, but construction on the new project will finally start early next week.

“The underground work starts next Monday and the frame should start to go up next fall,” says Jerry Bruce, Area B director for the Cariboo Regional District and co-chair of the North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee. “And in a year and a half, the arena should be complete.”

He says it will feature 1,400 seats, an Olympic-sized hockey rink, and will allow for other events like trade shows and concerts.

It will be located just across from the Twin Arenas and Bruce says it will help put Quesnel on the map.

“You’ve hit the nail on the head, when we have amenities in the City, whether it be a swimming pool, a hockey rink, a running track or whatever, it’s one of those items that becomes attractive for businesses who want to move here or people who want to retire here.”