Kitchener council approves $4.5M in upgrades to The Aud that will improve players' area, add restaurant

Renovations at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium expected to take place this summer have been approved by city councillors.

The Kitchener Rangers will fund $2.5 million to upgrade areas of the arena used by the hockey team while the city will spend $2 million to create an on-site restaurant.

Joe Birch, chief operating officer of the Kitchener Rangers, said the renovations are being driven by the fact "we need to remain elite and there's a significant change in the hockey landscape."

He said they asked the players and they were told they need a larger player lounge and an on-site gym.

It's expected the Ontario Hockey League will expand to more teams, meaning the Rangers will face more competition for players, he said.

As well, the rules recently changed to allow players to be able to play for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams in the U.S., the Rangers need to offer better facilities to recruit top talent, he said. These Big 10 schools, like Michigan and Penn State, have "incredible facilities" for athletes funded by football and other sports programs.

"We don't want to lose anyone due to things that are within our control," Birch said. 

"We're competing with those [Big 10 universities] when we want to recruit [hockey players] into the league, but more importantly, in retaining our 19-year-old and our 20-year-old hockey players. We just cannot afford to lose them."

New players' area, offices, restaurant

The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex, often referred to in the community as simply The Aud, opened in May 1951 and its last major renovation was in 2012, also through a partnership between the Rangers and the city.

The report that went before Kitchener city council on Monday's community and infrastructure services committee detailed how the Kitchener Rangers hockey team wanted to improve the players' dressing room area, business office and the room used by media and scouts. The $2.5 million in renovations would be fully funded by the team.

At the same time, the city will also undertake renovations to change a lounge room into a 120-seat restaurant.

Allyson Samms, manager of The Aud, told councillors it's an "exciting opportunity" to add a restaurant to the building because there aren't many dining options in that part of the city. Adding a restaurant would cost the city $2 million of which $575,000 would come from the tax base. Other funding would come from a reserve fund from ticket sales at The Aud as well as the municipal accommodation tax.

Councillors passed the motion to move forward with the renovations during the committee meeting, then also at a special council meeting Monday evening, meaning the project has been fully approved.

Coun. Bil Ioannidis said he was happy to support the move because he felt like the partnership between the Rangers and city was a special one that benefitted the whole community.

"I can't think of another community that has such a beautiful relationship with a tenant, such as the Rangers," he said. "We have to keep working together to make a great product for the community."

Coun. Scott Davey agreed the team is a "terrific partner" with the city and the Rangers "bring a lot of vibrancy" to the community.

Future of The Aud

Renovations are expected to take place between July and October. 

The renovations are also necessary because, Birch said, it appears there is no new facility in the team's near future. City staff have told the Rangers The Aud is expected to operate as it is for at least the next 10 years.

In the Ontario Hockey League, the top competitors for the Rangers are London and Oshawa, which Birch said are also renovating their facilities. 

Other OHL teams are also working to improve their buildings, he said. Sarnia and Saginaw have recently completed renovations while Sudbury, Ottawa and Brantford all plan to have new buildings.

Coun. Debbie Chapman questioned whether the city spending $2 million was worth it if The Aud could be replaced in 10 years.

Bob Cheyne, director of sport for the city, said by the end of 2026, staff will undertake two key initiatives. One is to complete a venue assessment with a third-party consultant. The second is to develop a strategic "road map" to outline work that needs to be done at The Aud.

"We anticipate that The Aud will continue to operate as it does. The building is in good current condition and we see it working as it is today for the next five years, more likely closer to the next 10 years," he said.

Davey says he knows people in the community will be interested to hear what is next for a hockey arena in the city, but for now, The Aud works.

"I'd love to see a new arena as well. But the reality is the auditorium is in good shape. It's kind of like that beautiful classic car, that the bones are good," Davey said.

"I know there's lots of folks out there that want us to buy a sports car and we will. But it's 10, 15 years away … in the meantime, we're doing everything we can to make this as vibrant as possible."