The repairs at the Audrey Fichter Memorial Arena – the outdoor, multipurpose sport facility in the Kin Hillside Playpark – are well underway and nearing completion.
Preston Majeran, the president of the Estevan Kinsmen Club, said the concrete has been poured and the boards have been installed. Now they’re waiting for the chain link fence to be put back in place.
“We’ve got to let that concrete cure a bit so that it has the proper time to cure and so that we can use it properly,” said Majeran, who noted it will take about two more weeks for the concrete to be ready.
Also, the basketball hoops at the multi-sport facility have been lowered by a foot, making it more accessible for the children. The Kin clubs decided to adjust the hoops after requests from the public.
The work on the concrete and the hoops was completed about two weeks ago.
“It turned out really well,” said Majeran. “It looks really good, and we’re hoping that with this fix, we won’t be running into any more issues.”
The concrete should be fully cured long before the temperatures are cold enough for the Kin clubs to create the ice at the outdoor facility.
“We’re excited to get that rink put in. We think it’s going to get a lot of use this year, and we’re also doing upgrades to our shack. We’re going to put a nice little paint job on the inside and out, and we’re redoing the flooring,” said Majeran.
The work has started on the shack, and Majeran predicted it should be ready for the start of the outdoor ice usage.
This work is able to happen because of support for the Kin clubs’ annual fundraisers, and with donations from the community.
Majeran noted the Kin clubs have put other procedures in place to preserve the concrete, including making sure there’s no standing water, and removing the ice at the end of February once the temperatures start to warm up.
