A special evening was held at the Benson Centre on Friday, April 29 to honour the sponsors, city employees and fundraising committee who helped make the dream of the massive three-pad arena become reality.
Among those who addressed the crowd of over 200 people was Cornwall Mayor Bob Kilger, who gave praise to all those involved with the Benson Centre and emphasized the building’s importance to the community.
“This facility will stand for many years to come,” said Kilger. “This city is changing. We’re going to start building new memories right here at the Benson Centre.”
On hand at the ceremony was Marty Benson, whose company, Benson Auto Parts, purchased the naming right to the centre at the price of $50,000 per year, for the next 12 years.
Benson was simply thrilled with the magnitude and beauty of the centre, saying he was “really, really impressed” and that he looks forward to playing tennis with his family in the future.
Fundraising committee chairman Scott Lecky thanked everyone involved and also praised City Councillor Glen Grant for relentlessly pushing the committee to assure the centre would have three pads.
Benson Centre Project Manager Brian Duffield was nervously ecstatic of the centre’s completion. He said the entire building is up to environmental standards and measures 193,500 square feet.
The Benson Centre features three NHL sized ice rinks, a field house with a walking track, a tennis court and community room. In September of 2010, the Benson Organization’s $600,000 guarantee the community’s fundraising goal of $2 million would be reached.
