Irving Oil is doing their part to ensure a Field House that bears their name goes forward with a multi-million dollar expansion project. The company has announced they will be chipping in $3 million towards the Irving Oil Field House multiplex expansion project. The new facility, which would be built beside and join into the Field House, will include a pair of new regulation-sized ice pads, and create a new home for the East Saint John Branch Public Library. The project would also see additional multi-purpose rooms bult for various programming, a community meeting space, and a possible wellness clinic. “I’m incredibly excited for Irving Oil,” Irving Oil president and CEO Jeff Matthews told reporters. “This is a great opportunity for us as a company to give back to our community, and it’s so exciting to be part of this process.” The Field House, which only opened in 2019, is equipped with two indoor turf fields, a 200-metre track, fitness centre, and pickleball courts among other offerings. While the building is owned by the Greater Saint John Field House Inc., the facility is operated by the YMCA of Southern New Brunswick. The $3 million contribution from Irving Oil brings the project to around $51 million of the $70 million required, says Greater Saint John Field House Inc. board chair Bill MacMackin. “We’re about 75 per cent of the way on both our local capital campaign, but also on our funding in total,” MacMackin says. “We have a few key pieces to pull together. We’re continuing to work with the province through the application process with them to get their funding in place but we’re feeling optimistic about that, that that will come together.” MacMackin says the Field House has a growing reputation of being able to host massive events that bring economic spinoffs to the community, and is also a significant recreational assets for residents. He says well over 50 different groups use the facility annually. While there is no set timeline for when shovels will go into the ground, officials are hopeful to have the project completed in 2029. Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon says the rinks that remain around the city are all outdated, with many being built in the late 1960s. “The way they’re used is different than they were years ago, so it just makes sense to decommission the older ones and move forward,” Reardon says. “Because it’ll get to a point where you won’t have the money to really support the old rinks because you can’t buy the parts if you need them.” Reardon also says having so many different offerings under one room will only benefit Saint Johnners. As part of the $3 million announced Monday, Irving Oil has received the naming rights to the multiplex facility and it’s two ice pads. Each rink will be named after iconic figures in the company, one in honour of Irving Oil founder K.C. Irving, and the other will commemorate former chairman emeritus Aruther Irving. “We’re so pleased as an organization, we’re so pleased as a company and our employees that we can continue on with their legacy of giving in this city,” says Matthews. “The city that they called home for so many years.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
