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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-03-07, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1990. A unique bond in the community BY USA BOONSTOPPEL It doesn’t look like much. The paint on the doors is peeling and the floorboards are creaky in this old-fashioned building. But the Belgrave arena doesn’t need looks for it’s a unique centre that houses natural ice, is debt-free and bonds the community of Belgrave togeth­ er. One of the most distinctive features of the arena is its natural ice. Unlike most arenas in Ontario which require refrigeration and expensive maintenance equipment, all the Belgrave arena has is a 60 gallon water tank and air vents. The arena gets its skating rink through someone manually pulling the tank around the cement surface and continuously flooding the rink. “It takes about three days steady to get the ice in,’’ said John Freibur- ger who helps his wife Anna, the part-time hired caretaker of the arena. One full tank floods about one layer of ice. But one layer is less than a quarter of a millimetre thick said Mr. Freiburger who has to flood the ice hundreds of times until it is about one and a half inches thick. But once the weather is cold enough, a couple of boys come out to help with the monoton­ ous flooding. This year, Shawn Logan and Rob Anderson volun­ teered for the job and received free ice time as a reward. Once the ice is frozen in place it is up to Mother Nature to ensure that the ice doesn’t melt away for there are no technological means to stop the ice from liquifying. The temperature inside the arena can only be minimally controlled by Iceman Flooding the Belgrave arena is done the old-fashioned way shows John Freiburger who is pulling a 60-gallon tank around the rink. One tank will do one layer of ice which is less than a quarter of a millimetre thick. large vents lining the outside of the building. “We like to leave all the vents open when we can but when the weather gets milder we close them to keep the cold in,” said Ken Hopper, a volunteer at the arena. Yet, the natural ice can with­ stand temperatures up to plus two degrees and still be skateable for a while. But if the sun is shining on the roof and after an hour of skating with the lights on inside the building “it might get wet on top if the temperature is above one degree,” said Mr. Freiburger. “It has to get up to three or four degrees Celsius before the ice will turn into water.” Other than fluctuating tempera­ tures, there aren’t many problems to taking care of the arena if it is cleaned off regularly. “If the ice surface isn’t scraped properly the snow on the ice turns to slush when you flood it and creates bumps,” said Mr. Freiburger. Forget the image of a tractor cleaning off the ice in this arena for it is scraped off with shovels. It may seem like a lot of work but in Belgrave when something needs to be done, people will do it. And so after a hockey game a few players, the coach and maybe a parent who is watching will grab a shovel and start circling the arena, scraping the snow into the centre. Then with combined muscle, the group will shove the snow towards the rear door where it is simply thrown outside. There are no tractors, no gas fumes and no expensive equip­ ment. All Belgrave uses is some old-fashioned shovels and some human energy. These snow-shovelling chains are part of another special feature of the Belgrave arena - the arena bonds the community together. Working side by side, the volun­ teers that shovel out the arena are part of a long list of volunteers that includes hockey coaches, conces­ sion booth cooks, maintenance crews, turkey supper hosts and fundraising chairpersons that are all united in their common goal to maintain a successful arena for their use. “The arena is a focal point for the community,” said Glen Coul- tes, a Morris Township farmer who Continued on Page 13 LIMITED QUANTITIES IN SOME SIZES We need help to reduce our inventory before we move into our new building SAVETO% off the regular selling price on all General passenger & light truck Tires in stock GENERAL thk SALE ENDS MARCH 10, 1990 Call MEULENSTEEN 1 LISTOWEL, ONTARIO 291-1841 COJERAL TIRE ^NERAL TIRE GENERAL TIRE . Service Is Our Business 24 HOUR EMERGENCY ROAD SERVICE After hours call toll free 1-552-8359 contractors! We also service off-road equipment! GENERAL TIRE PERFORMANCE CENTRE INVENTORY CLEARANCE SALE GENERAL TIRE