A third option besides building a smaller arena downtown or on the Mountain is elbowing its way into the ongoing arena debate.

Why not renovate the aging FirstOntario Centre (FOC) instead?

City staff is currently exploring private sector interest in building a new 10,000-seat arena in the core, while simultaneously looking at the feasibility of Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer's proposal to partner on a smaller facility at Lime Ridge Mall.

But Coun. Terry Whitehead argues the city also needs to take a serious look at doing a major overhaul of FOC, noting that the renovation option has never formally been taken off the table.

Whitehead believes Hamilton is too big a city to quietly settle for the kind of smaller venues being proposed.

"There is no future in a 10,000-seat arena in a city that's growing like Hamilton."

Enter development consultant Jasper Kujavsky, who is co-ordinating a local consortium's push to redevelop the city-owned Hamilton Convention Centre.

Speaking on his own behalf, Kujavsky argues that the 17,000-seat FOC - formerly known as Copps Coliseum - can be transformed into a state-of-the-art 9,000-seater capable of seamlessly expanding to full capacity when needed.

"The renovation gives you everything you get in a new arena but it doesn't limit you to only those 10,000 seats if you have big shows or the occasional major league sporting event," says Kujavsky.

The reno option originally stems from a 2016 report by international venue experts Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects, which Kujavsky commissioned.

That study pegged the cost of completely rebuilding FOC at $252 million. But it said remodelling the lower bowl into an 8,500- to 9,000-seat venue with premium seats, private boxes and party zone amenities could be done for about $68 million.

According to Kujavsky, when you factor in inflation and reinforcing the load-bearing capacity of the roof to handle modern rigging and drop-ceilings to create a sense of intimacy in the lower bowl, the total cost would ring in at roughly $115 million to $130 million - the same price as building a 10,000 seat arena.

The renovation option largely fell by the wayside in August when consultants Ernst & Young recommended that a new "right size" arena be built downtown to replace FOC.

The consultants, who were hired by the city to evaluate its venue needs and examine divestment options, said a smaller arena will better serve Hamilton's market needs and made more financial sense than maintaining or retrofitting the 34-year-old FOC.

The consultants pointed out that in 2018, only 13 of 98 events used the arena's upper bowl.

Kujavsky agrees that a smaller venue would serve Hamilton's normal requirements. But renovating FOC not only gives the city flexibility for hosting megashows, it keeps the door open for Hamilton one day becoming a major league city. Permanently downsizing to a smaller arena would automatically kill this city's abiding dream of landing an NHL team.

Coun. Jason Farr, who represents downtown, says he's "absolutely open" to exploring the retrofitting concept.

Farr notes, however, that a major renovation could create problems for where the Bulldogs - FOC's crucial anchor tenant - play. "Obviously they would need to be part of that conversation."

For his part, Coun. John-Paul Danko believes there's "definitely some merit" in revisiting renovation, but the driving question for him remains which arena proposal provides the best value for taxpayers.

It's hard to argue with that. Which is all the more reason why council should study the reno option before taking a wrecking ball to FirstOntario Centre.

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Andrew Dreschel's commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. adreschel@thespec.com

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