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The Dryden GM Ice Dogs are looking for more space at the Dryden Memorial Arena.
The team is asking the city for a larger dressing room.
President Mike Sveinson says they have one of the smallest rooms among all SIJHL teams.
“It’s so tight that when players are facing each other, they’re knee to knee. There is no shower or bathroom in the present locker room, and the lack of space and facilities necessitates the use of other rooms in the arena,” says Sveinson.
Sveinson presented Dryden City Council on Monday with a diagram of what a new dressing may look like.
He estimates the cost to be about $200 thousand and approached council about applying for funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.
Such a grant would require 25 per cent of the cost to be covered by the city.
Mayor Jack Harrison says it is worth exploring.
“I think that financial arrangement….one funding agency, but there may be different ones that we would look into. From a city point of view, we do need to also explore opportunities for, say, if it was a different, or NHFC, the 25% (local share), where would that come from? Whether partly from the city or some other activity or venue or MAT (municipal accommodation) tax. So, I think from a city point of view, we’re willing to explore that potential work with Ice Dogs fulfilling this goal….to expand the dressing room,” says Harrison.
Sveinson says ideally, if the funding can be secured, they would like to be using a new dressing by the 2024-25 hockey season.