Since first publishing on April 16, 1891 the Chilliwack Progress has been the newspaper of record in Chilliwack.
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‘From the Progress Archives’ is a journey into the past, to see what was making news decades ago.
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Headline: New arena set to go
Date: February 7, 2003
Reporter: Robert Freeman
An early morning City of Chilliwack council meeting was held Wednesday to sign documents that sealed a partnership with the Chiefs’ Development Group to build a $20.3 million multiplex arena in Chilliwack.
City councillors arrived at the 7:30 a.m. meeting to officially sign the partnership agreement, which gives the Chiefs’ group authority to proceed with ordering steel needed to start building the new multiplex, now expected to open in September next year.
Only two people had signed a counterpetition by Tuesday against going ahead with the project. The signatures of 2,100 residents, five per cent of the population, could have sparked a community-wide referendum if council decided to continue the P3 project. Other options would have been starting from scratch or shelving the project.
One of those who signed the counterpetition wasn’t against the project so much as formally registering concern over parking at the new 3,500 seat arena, which will sit on the southeast corner of Hodgins Avenue and Ashwell Road facing Townsend Park.
The existing Coliseum arena will remain open until the multiplex is completed in September, 2004.
