Editor’s note: I will dip into the news archives occasionally to let you know about significant events or decisions from our past, and how they may have shaped our present. I originally wrote this story in January 2008.

Downtown Kingston’s still-unnamed sports and entertainment centre won’t be ‘fully completely’ finished until months after The Tragically Hip play the inaugural concert, say city officials.

Staff responded to, what they admit, is the most frequently asked question surrounding the construction timetable of the $46.5 million arena at 1 Barrack Street.

Will it be ready on time?

“As far as we know there’s no intent of changing that date,” project manager Lanie Hurdle told council on January 22, 2008 exactly one month before the facility is scheduled to open with an OHL game between Kingston and Belleville.

The Hip will play the first concert on the following night, Saturday, Feb. 23, with other entertainers like Napanee’s Avril Lavigne, Anne Murray, Colin Mochrie, Charley Pride and a Disney ice show to arrive in the following weeks.

City officials concede it’s “crunch time” to finish the 5,600 seat venue, with builder EllisDon working flat out through days, nights and weekends. They say the building will be ready for public occupancy with all the mandatory safety systems in place, but some finishing work on other “deficiencies” could take up to six months. Exterior landscaping and sidewalk improvements, in-house displays and other fixtures will be added in the months after the facility opens to the public, says Hurdle.

Another fixture to be added at a future date is the signage of the company that’s expected to buy exclusive naming rights for $150,000 a year. City officials hoped to have a deal nailed down last year, but it now appears that won’t happen until next month.

Secret talks to sign a lead corporate sponsor are into the final stages, and a deal could be presented to council on Feb. 5. The name of the firm won’t be disclosed until after council approves the financial details.

“We’re just sorting out the language. It won’t be long until we can get the name identified,” says Neil Shorthouse with Arcturus/SMG, the private firm hired to manage the arena.

Even if a deal is signed, there won’t be time to install permanent signs around the building by opening day, so temporary banners will be used instead.

Aside from the building’s name and construction timetable, councillors also quizzed staff about the hidden cost of show tickets. Some residents have expressed concern over a $7 surcharge charged by an out-of-town ticket agency.

Shorthouse says the additional fee is not out of line with what arena-goers in other cities pay to buy tickets on line or on the phone to cover mailing and administration fees, but he says ticket buyers will soon be able to avoid the long distance surcharge. Arcturus will open a temporary ticket office on lower Clarence Street in the second week of February, so purchases can be made in person. The ticket booth will eventually be moved to the arena itself.

Arcturus has also assumed the role of food supplier, and will run the arena’s restaurant and suite catering while the search for a restaurant chain continues.

As for the shows, Shorthouse says he’s trying to bring in a variety of entertainers to fill the seats.

“There’s been a lot of interest in the entertainment community to focus on Kingston and test the market out,” he told reporters.

Shorthouse says getting local superstar Avril Lavigne to play Kingston’s smaller venue in early April was not a slam dunk guarantee. “Even though it’s in her backyard, we still had to do a sales effort with the promoter to make sure (they understood) Kingston was a viable market and she’d be playing a new building.”

Over 5,000 general admission tickets for the Lavigne concert went on sale Monday, Jan. 28 for $40-$60 apiece and were expected to sell out quickly.