KAMSACK — It will be a little behind schedule for the beginning of its winter season, forcing eager hockey players to make the trip to Canora for a few weeks, but when it does open, hopefully by mid-November, it will be a newly-renovated Broda Sportsplex.
The upgrade is said to cost a total of $6.7 million, with contributions of federal and provincial funding, in addition to Kamsack property owners.
Uncertain if the new metal siding and roof will have been completed by the time the building is ready to open, but Stephen Dutcheshen, Kamsack’s recreation director, said those parts of the construction will not affect the building’s inside workings.
“Inside, we’re on schedule,” Dutcheshen said last week. “And they started in mid-May, about a month behind schedule because of staffing and weather issues.”
The jobs of placing the weeping tile, sand sealing the base, and installing rebar and wire mesh were all done in anticipation of having the concrete poured, he said. The methanol coolant lines have been placed and have been pressure tested, all in anticipation of the pouring of the concrete.
The concrete was poured Sept. 8 and 9.
“They planned to be going 24 hours on both days to get the concrete poured on both, the skating rink and the curling rink,” he said, adding that if all goes as anticipated, it will take 30 days for the concrete to cure, taking the timeline to Oct. 9 when, in the skating rink, the bleachers will be put back, the players’ boxes will be adjusted, new boards and tempered glass will have been installed and the finishing work will have been done to the sound room.
So, by the beginning of November, Mark Foster, the rink manager, will be able to begin making ice for both arenas, he said. After frozen, the ice will take about four or five more days to have the ice painted.
“This means that by mid-November the Sportsplex should – and I emphasize should – be ready for minor hockey and curling.”
Kamsack Minor Hockey Association has made arrangements with the Town of Canora to allow the Kamsack players to make use of the Canora skating rink, beginning in October, he said. Although minor hockey has made a “worst-case” agreement, having access to the Canora facilities until the end of the year, they’ll probably be back in the Sportsplex by mid-November.
