A contemplated wholesale renovation and enlargement of the lobby of the Claude Parish Memorial Arena would significantly improve user flow and provide for better dressing rooms, suggests a concept design presented to council by leisure services director Tasha Kelly.
“The current lobby serves its basic purpose to users but has been facing unexpected and increased maintenance costs over the past few years,” Kelly noted in a memo to council.
“Staff have identified its aging infrastructure (constructed in 1971) and lifecycle to be nearing the end of its functional service life,” she wrote.
The concept as prepared by the firm The Designery would see a major addition to the west side of the lobby so that the concession kitchen to be moved. That would remove the traffic jam in the lobby during busy events and provide back access through an outside service door, Kelly’s memo continued.
Within the current area, an extensive renovation would not only renew the lobby’s useful life but provide for remodelled dressing rooms that fit entire teams, keep the staff office close to the main entrance, provide an appropriate coach’s room and locker room and keep a smaller multi-use locker room adjacent to the ice for a girls dressing room, a room for referees and be accessibility friendly.
An addition and renovation could cost as much as $726,000 and would require the assistance of senior government grants.
The District has already applied to a federal/provincial program for $909,461 for just an addition and also the purchase and installation of a humidifier as well as for design and professional service fees.
Projected renovation costs were not included in the application so as to keep the requested amount smaller in hopes of a better chance of approval.
The humidifier addition, at a projected cost of $412,100, a figure which takes in a plus/minus 30 per cent contingency, would deal with moisture build up.
“When the temperature is warm and humidity is higher, it creates a ‘rainfall’ effect inside the arena. Condensation build ups up on the steel beams resulting in releasing the moisture to the ice surface below,” Kelly told council in a separate memo.
“This creates time delays for staff s the ice requires extensive maintenance to keep the ice surface flat. As well, this activity damages the building, both in appearance and function,” she added.
The dehumidifier recommended for the arena would use a humidity-absorbing material called a dessicant, said Kelly.
Air would be processed with moisture being exhausted outside and dry air redirected back into the arena.