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BULLS & CITY EXTEND AGREEMENT
TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE FROM YARDMEN ARENA
The Belleville Bulls Hockey Club and the City of Belleville announced today a substantial extension to their existing agreement to ensure that the Ontario Hockey League franchise will continue to operate from the Yardmen Arena in Belleville for at least the next three years. This extension is a significant step in the ongoing process in which the two parties are continuing to discuss requirements to bring the current facility to meet the standards of today’s OHL.
“I am extremely pleased to sign this extension agreement and to signal our strong commitment to pursuing our goal to keep the Belleville Bulls franchise here in this community and to continue to build it into the fabric of the entire Quinte Region” said Gord Simmonds, President and Governor of the team. “From the start of our dialogue with Mayor Ellis, and various members of the new City Council, we sensed a clear understanding for the unique requirements and support for an OHL franchise and how we need to operate in a smaller market. It is our belief that this council recognizes what a hockey club like ours brings to the culture and identity of this community. They seem determined to work with us in a fierce spirit of determination to find a way to develop a facility that can work for us over the long haul.
“We are involved now in a thorough facility needs assessment for the Quinte Sports Center. We want to find out how a redevelopment of this facility can serve the needs of our City as a hub for sports, entertainment, and event opportunities for all our resident and how much we will have to invest to achieve that goal” commented Mayor Neil Ellis. “The signing of this extension today is a very valuable step. While we determine if we can find a suitable and cost effective way to move forward with a redeveloped sports and entertainment facility, we can do this knowing that the Belleville Bulls hockey club has extended the timeframe to complete this study and come to a good decision. The Belleville Bulls are a business we want to stay in our community. We have an OHL franchise and it helps differentiate Belleville from many other similar sized centers across our country. OHL hockey is exactly the type of activity we want to retain or attract with such a redeveloped facility if we are able to afford it.
“This has been an exciting year for our hockey club” commented Simmonds. “We are seeing the results of a rebuilding of our hockey development program and are achieving good recognition and results on the ice. We are working hard at building our presence in the community and the surrounding region. To be able to extend our commitment here, to participate with the city and other user groups in this facility needs assessment process, and to trust the sincerity and passion of the City leaders for its OHL franchise makes me quite optimistic about a long term future here.
 
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