Construction begins on new rink

Increased costs for concrete floor and refrigeration building

Excavation for the new NHL-sized rink is underway with the goal of pouring the concrete in mid-September ahead of the opening of the facility at the end of November, according to chief administrative officer Rob Bremner.

Powder Ventures was awarded the municipal contract and the changes to the rink’s construction have incurred some increased costs. The concrete floor will be increased to six inches thick, which costs around $9,300 and the refrigeration building will need to be expanded to adhere to WorkSafeBC regulations, which will cost approximately $13,600.

Money to cover the increased costs will come from the existing Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funds, according to Bremner.

“We’ve actually added an inch of concrete because down the road the idea is still to make it a place where you could have a trade show, so just to be safe we’ve increased the size of the depth of the concrete so we could actually drive a car on it without ruining the floor,” Bremner said.

“I had money put in (the budget) for next year for the arena so we just take that from next year and we’re going to move the (new) village entrance to next year.”

A consultant is also looking at ways to make the refrigeration component more energy efficient as the refrigerant used will not be available after 2020, according to Bremner. He said there is up to $50,000 available from the Federal Gas Tax Fund to make the necessary upgrades.

“They’re looking at the refrigerant since it’s going to be banned probably after 2020, looking at what is coming forward that’ll be a little greener in order to utilize that, and they’re also looking at some compressor things they could do so it’s not firing so much power all the time,” Bremner said. “They’re reviewing the plant from a number of different angles so we put our best foot forward.”

Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality also finalized an agreement with Sun Peaks Resort LLP to see the transfer of the Sports Centre facility, which will serve as the change rooms for the rink, to the municipality by Sept. 30.

In addition, Bremner said he has narrowed the Zamboni search down to three or four machines from Calgary and the resurfacing machine along with a garage will be in Sun Peaks for the opening of the rink.

“The idea is we need to be up and operating at the end of November so that’s where we’re heading,’ Bremner said. “To get the concrete poured is our key. Once we get the concrete poured, we’re good to go.”