(by Dave Stewart)
It’s one line in the City of Charlottetown’s 2016 capital budget.
But it represents a giant leap toward finally building the new arena that many capital area residents have wanted for years.
As for the location, everything seems to point to building it on the site of the current provincial government garage between Park Street and Riverside Drive.
The current Eastlink Centre in red, with the nearby former government garage in green and possible additional land now used for parking next to it in light green.
The city’s capital budget includes $75,000 that will be at the disposal of a task force that will explore what a new multi-use arena would include and how much it would cost.
A new arena would likely have capacity for 5,000 seats.
Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee said Thursday a new arena could also include a curling club, with the Charlottetown Curling Club considering its options at its present location.