Community invited to take 1st look at vision for transformed Eastlink Centre next week
Changes may allow 'that next level of entertainment that we think the Island deserves’
People on P.E.I. will get a peek next week at proposed changes to Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre that the general manager hopes will allow the centre to eventually book "that next level of entertainment that we think the Island deserves."
The centre, which is more than three decades old now, is hosting an open house on June 26 to showcase design concepts for proposed renovations to make it into a modern, multi-use venue. The upgrades are expected to take place over a three-year period.
General manager John Abbott said the centre, formerly known as the Charlottetown Civic Centre and originally built in 1990 to support the 1991 Canada Games, is beginning to show its age.
If the centre wants to remain competitive and attract top-tier events, he said, it needs more than just a spruce up.
"It's important to us… to get into that next level of entertainment that we think that the Island deserves, that the city deserves," Abbott told CBC's Island Morning.
Centre can't host some major events
The current arena has around 3,700 seats, but major events such as the Brier require at least 5,000. Abbott said this gap in capacity limits the centre's eligibility to host high-profile competitions.
He also noted that while most modern arenas use a top-loading design to enhance safety, with spectators entering from the top concourse, the Eastlink Centre uses a bottom-loading design where people enter from the bottom of the arena.
"We need to protect our artists," he said. "These days, the artists want to make sure that they're not accessible to the fans, and right now they are."
$3 million in funding so far
Back in March, Charlottetown city council approved capital and operating budgets for 2025-26, including about $3 million earmarked for upgrades to the Eastlink Centre.
Part of this fund has let the centre work with architecture firm Coles Associates to develop design and engineering plans, which will be unveiled at the open house.
The proposal includes a second-floor concourse, which improves security and could also accommodate amenities like a walking track, new concession stands and upstairs washrooms.
Abbott said these ideas were developed after a lot of consultation with Coles Associates, user groups and key stakeholders. Now, the Eastlink Centre is ready to present the vision to the public and invite feedback.
A full list of proposed features is available on the centre's website.
'It's a huge project'
Abbott said all the new structures will be built outside the existing centre to minimize disruption to the facility's current operations.
Once that phase is complete, the walls will be removed and the newly constructed elements will be moved inside. He said throughout the three-year process, tenants will not be required to move out.
"It is a huge project, no question," he said.
We'll get into hard numbers in the next few months, when we get a little more finalized on our details and what we need to see what the building's going to look like.— General manager John Abbott
A similar renovation was considered in 2003 and estimated to cost around $7 million, but the project was not pursued at the time, Abbott said. Many elements of that earlier proposal have been incorporated into the current plan.
While an initial cost estimate of $38 million was presented to the city, Abbott said the final price tag will become clearer in the coming months.
"We'll get into hard numbers in the next few months, when we get a little more finalized on our details and what we need to see what the building's going to look like."
With files from Island Morning