The Peterborough Memorial Centre could potentially be converted into indoor basketball courts, climbing walls or a fitness facility, an architect told a crowd of about 100 people at a public meeting Tuesday night.

Architect Owen Craig of the Vancouver firm Dialog spoke at a public meeting at the Evinrude Centre.

If the seats were removed, the building would be a wide-open space with a high ceiling - and the possibilities for re-use are endless, he told the meeting.

It's time to consider replacing the Memorial Centre with a new sports and entertainment facility, city council has heard from its consultatns. It is 61 years old and Craig said it has "functional challenges" such as undersized washrooms and too few seats.

"We've essentially put in a new engine, and we're trying to decide whether to keep the car," Craig said.

Craig also took suggestions from the crowd about how the PMC could be reused: it could be a trampoline park for kids, for example, or it could have an indoor walking track. It could also be an indoor lacross facility, the consultants heard, or it could be a museum or cultural centre.

The public meeting included an hour-long presentation from Craig and Jon Hack, the director of Toronto-based consultant Sierra Planning and Management.

Sierra Planning has been hired by city council to consider whether the city ought to build a new OHL arena and entertainment centre to replace the Memorial Centre.

The firm recently wrote a report to councillors recommending they consider a new facility. On Tuesday the consultants were sharing what they've learned so far, as well as receiving public feedback in a question-and-answer session.

Hack told the crowd Tuesday he's been asked by city council to consider the downtown as a potential location for a new facility.

Although he's already scouting possible sites, he wasn't specific about where he's looking: he said some locations are privately owned, so he must be discreet.

One man in the crowd said in a question-and-answer period that they didn't think the downtown is any place for a new sport and entertainment facility.

"You know what? It's not beautiful in downtown Peterborough anymore," said Lawrence White, a cab driver.

"I don't believe the downtown is the right spot. You should have it somewhere where it stands out.. It's going to be surrounded by old buildings and it won't stand out."

Hack said it is important to keep the point in mind; he said some cities prefer to build in a "visible gateway location", meaning it would have "maximum visibility."

Yet not many people seemed to like that idea when Hack asked for a show of hands, at the end of the question-and-answer period: when he asked who wanted to see a new facility downtown, about 90 per cent of people raised their hands.

Hack didn't say how much it would cost to build a new entertainment centre. Further information is expected when Sierra submits a final report to council May 18.