Operations at Delaney Arena are being modified due to infrastructure issues.
The arena is dealing with a failure with its ice refrigeration system as well as issues with the arena floor.
“Several temporary fixes to the existing ice system infrastructure have been completed, including repairs to piping and the arena floor,” said Sport & Community Development Supervisor, Paul Burke. “This issue caused unexpected closures and cancellations last season and it is necessary to limit the strain on the system to offer the 2024/25 season.”
An engineering firm came in to assess the damage and provided recommendations for repairs and pre-repair operations.
The assessment indicated that the arena can’t operate as normal for the upcoming season.
Construction Services is working on plans to replace the arena floor, refrigeration piping and arena boards as a permanent solution in 2025, subject to City Council approvals.
“Right now we’re in the design process of that phase, said Capital Facilities Construction Manager, Kelvin Jankowski. “We went ahead and proceeded with design and we will be ready to tender proceeding Council approval.”
“The lifespan of the floors is typically 50 years, We’re at 56 for this floor now, so it’s done its job,” said Jankowski “It’s been very reliable for the last 56 years and the reliability is falling off now, so it’s something we have to deal with if we’re going to continue to operate this facility.”
To reduce the strain on the ice system, temporary modifications to the arena’s operations are being made for the upcoming season.
These measures include a reduction in operating hours during both weekdays and weekends, limiting the age of users and minimizing the number of tournaments at the arena.
“So there will be three main changes that the public and user groups will see,” added Burke. “One is a reduction in hours, the second is we’re limiting the users on the ice to those that are under 13 years of age, and the third one is a limit to the number of tournaments that will be held here.”
The city’s capital facilities construction department estimates the work will cost roughly $2,000,000.
“To be determined where the money is going to come from,” added Jankowski. “It may impact replacement schedules for other things.”
