Residents of Alameda can look forward to renovations at the town’s arena being complete before the start of the upcoming hockey season.
And they can also look forward to using the facility in the spring and summer months, once the ice has been removed.
The renovation started in March, once the ice was gone. Recreation board member Darin McNabb said the work is progressing well, and now they are waiting for the cement to cure for 30 days.
“Work started on March 20 with removal of the glass and boards, refrigeration lines, cement and the redoing of the gravel base,” said McNabb. “We dug in a new weeping tile system, and installed a couple hundred yards of new gravel and tailings.”
From there they poured in a new cement pad with refrigeration lines inside the cement.
Once the cement cures, Custom Ice Inc. from Burlington, Ont., will come back to install boards, glass and a new Zamboni door.
“Everything is on schedule and on budget at this time,” said McNabb. “We are continuing our fundraising efforts for the sale of board advertising space, looking for major sponsors and looking for the sales of cement.”
Most of the project thus far has been funded through cash reserves and a loan from a local financial institution. The recreation board is looking to reduce the loan’s term through the fundraisers.
The estimated cost of the project is $620,000.
McNabb said the rink had reached a stage where it was no longer safe to play hockey. The recreation board had to decide whether to continue operating the rink in that condition, or to make the necessary upgrades and renovations. They also had to decide on the extent of those renovations.
“At that time, when we decided it was time to fix it right once and for all, we had to remove the cement pad and the new refrigeration system and the lines in there to solve some of the problems from melting the ice,” said McNabb.
They would have been able to play hockey at the rink this year, but it would have been non-hockey, because the boards were shifting around and becoming unsafe.
Last season they had minor hockey for teams in peewee and younger age groups, and they had recreation hockey, but they didn’t have bantam and midget teams, because most of the bantam and midget-aged players were travelling to Estevan to play for age-representative teams.
Like any other small town, the arena is a hub of activity in the winter. The Alameda figure skating club is based out of the arena and McNabb said it is a popular club. Ice is available to rent, and public skating days and open ice times are offered for kids.
“It’s great for developing skills and skating,” said McNabb.
The rink typically opens for the ice sports season on Nov. 1, and he is confident the boards and glass will be installed by the end of August. It will allow for any necessary minor renovations to be completed.
He noted that the recreation board has traditionally needed six to seven weeks to build the ice, but now it should be completed in four or five days.
Outside of the ice sports season, the rink couldn’t be used, because the refrigeration lines were on top of the cement. The ice had to be melted into the ground to use the facility in the summer, which caused the floor to be extremely wet.
“It used to be able to be used for weddings and other events, but unfortunately over the last couple of years, it’s been extremely wet in there, and not usable (in the summer), so that’s part of the upgrades, is it’s going to become a year-round facility,” said McNabb.
Weddings, auctions and other community events could find their way into the arena once the ice sports season is finished. The committee is also evaluating whether lacrosse could be there in the summer, since the sport is growing in popularity.
The Alameda Recreation Board is a volunteer organization that is self-supporting through user fees and fundraising, so they don’t have any direct financial contributions from the town or neighbouring rural municipalities on an annual basis, although the RMs of Moose Creek and Enniskillen have come in as major sponsors for the arena upgrade.
