The Times-Advocate, 2002-10-09, Page 3By Scott Nixon
TIMES-ADVOCATE STAFF
LUCAN BIDDULPH —
Mayor Earl French says
cost will be the biggest
hurdle confronting
repairs to the Lucan
Community Memorial
Arena ice pad.
Council learned at an
Oct. 1 meeting estimat-
ed repairs to the ice
pad could reach
$225,000.
As previously report-
ed, the concrete pad
has risen as much as
five inches in the cen-
tre of the rink, caused
by frozen soil beneath
the floor.
Alan Murray of Dillon
Consulting told council
although the floor is
insulated, it’s impossi-
ble to fully insulate an
arena floor when the
facility is used year
round. He added heat-
ing cables in the floor
have largely failed to
help the insulation.
Frozen soil was found
15 feet below the ice
pad.
Murray proposed to
remove the old floor
and cooling system and
replace it with a new
system and a tempo-
rary sand floor to allow
the frozen soil below to
thaw. The thawing
period could take eight
to 16 months.
Once the soil has
thawed, the temporary
sand floor is removed
and either replaced
with a permanent sand
floor or a concrete
slab. Lucan arena man-
ager Justin Fidler said
many arenas have sand
floors. Stephen Twp.
Arena in Huron Park
has a sand floor, for
example, and many
people argue sand
floors make better ice.
Fidler said work on
the arena floor could
start at the end of
March when minor
hockey, the skating
clubs and the Lucan
Irish are finished their
seasons. He said the
arena would be open
again by the end of
June or early July so it
won’t miss any summer
hockey camps.
When asked by
French how the arena
would raise the
$225,000 for the
repairs, arena board
chairperson Bev
Bumstead said the
board doesn’t want to
look to Lucan Biddulph
taxpayers for the
money, but will look
into government grant
programs.
In other notes from
the meeting:
Efficiency plan
Council is allowing
the arena to enter a
deal with Toronto com-
pany Enershare to
improve the energy
efficiency of the arena.
Enershare appeared
before council in
January with the pro-
posal, to audit build-
ings, estimate what
efficiencies can be
made to save on hydro
bills and make the
upgrades. In exchange
there is no out-of-pock-
et expense for the
municipality, as
Enershare gets 89 per
cent of the savings over
eight years, after which
the municipality keeps
the savings.
Fidler said Enershare
did a 45-day audit on
the arena and estimat-
ed with their energy
saving methods, the
arena’s minimum
annual savings will be
$9,400. The total cost
of the project is
$52,000, which will be
deducted from the sav-
ings over eight years.
Fidler said the
improvements include
new high output lights,
an auto-system for the
arena’s compressor
(which controls the
temperature), night
setbacks for the boil-
ers, heat system and
air conditioning.
While Enershare is
based in Toronto,
Fidler said they use
local contractors.
As part of the deal,
Enershare completes
an annual 15-day audit
to ensure the savings
are being met.
Fidler said one of the
reasons the deal with
Enershare is important
is because the arena’s
hydro costs have dou-
bled. Although hydro
use at the arena has
stayed the same, rates
have skyrocketed. As
rates continue to
increase, the arena will
realize more savings
under the Enershare
deal.
Camp concern
Bumstead expressed
concern the Lucan
arena lost a summer
goalie camp to
Strathroy in a five-year
contract that only
charges camp organiz-
ers $45 an hour. The
camp runs for three
weeks at 40 hours per
week.
Fidler said the
Strathroy price of $45
an hour is “unheard
of,” and said Lucan
was charging the camp
$95 per hour.
Bumstead speculated
that price must be sub-
sidized and said the
Strathroy arena is
municipally-owned.
“We can’t compete
with those numbers,”
Bumstead said. “It’s a
serious concern to us.”
French wondered how
the Strathroy arena
could offer the low
price since the break-
even point for the
Lucan arena is $60 per
hour.
French said he will
look into the matter.
Skatepark open
Bumstead also report-
ed the skateboard park
beside the arena had
its grand opening and
seems to be running
smoothly.
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Lucan arena repairs could cost $225,000
Sitting on student council this year for Our Lady of Mount Carmel School are,
from left,vice-president Josh McCann,secretary Kami Fevery,president Sadie
McCann and treasurer Michelle McCann.(photo/Scott Nixon)
Mount Carmel council