Work to replace the 37-year-old slab that underlies the ice in Brennan Park’s arena began on Monday.
The $1.2-million renovation will take place in several stages over an estimated 12 weeks.
The process started in the morning with Zambonis making laps around the rink to begin slowly melting the ice surface. In between, staff scrape away ice.
This work to remove the ice was set for the first couple of days, to be followed by removal of any water and drying of the surface.
“It’s the same process we do every year,” said District of Squamish manager of facilities Camilla Say.
Contractors should begin the actual construction part of the job Thursday, and the boards and glass will come out next week.
The removal of the current slab will involve cutting the surface into squares and taking it out in sections.
Once the site is ready for concrete, the work should proceed quickly and continuously until the new slab is in place, even on a 24-hour cycle. “They’ll do what they have to do to keep schedule,” Say said.
The work should be complete by the end of June or early July, although are a couple of potential issues that could add slight delays.
“In an ideal world with no issues, the timeline is 12 weeks,” she said.
An environmental question could crop up around whether brine used in cooling the slab might have gotten into the soil on site. “There may have been, over the years, some leaching,” Say said.
The project also will require a geotechnical test for the fill.
“If that soil is in great shape, they can just put it back in,” she said.
There could, however, be issues with a heating pad under the surface and whether soil has frozen, or “heaved.” If so, the soil will need some remedial work before the new concrete slab can be poured.
Say does not expect any potential delay to last long.
The District of Squamish as well as user groups have been concerned that the slab might “heave” over the year, before staff could get the ice out, but fortunately the surface held through the skating season, which should simplify its replacement.
“We want to do it in a controlled environment,” Say said.
The arena is also used through the summer months, which means some groups such as the local roller derby team have been displaced.
The project is also affecting some of the district’s own programming, such as summer camps. Tim Hoskin, director of recreation services, said the district is working with the Sea to Sky School District on an agreement to use gym space for some of the programs.
“We’re just sorting out the agreement. It’s 99 per cent of the way,” Hoskin said.
The district has set up a project page on its website to keep residents up to date on the progress of the arena slab replacement. It has also set up web camera for people to get an inside look at the work. The camera will show images of the project, which will eventually be refreshed every three seconds.
“It’ll be almost live, but not quite,” Say said.
The work at the arena highlights broader issues at district facilities in terms of the availability of space.
“Programming is at capacity now,” Hoskin said.
Many groups have talked about the need for a second sheet of ice in the community. Hoskin said the current parks and recreation master plan makes reference to this, stating the plan calls for a second sheet at a point when the community population’s reaches 25,000, adding that council should be discussing the issue in 2016.
