Arena opening in Fort Smith, N.W.T., delayed again this year, frustrating some local parents

Some parents in Fort Smith, N.W.T., are voicing their frustration after learning the much-anticipated opening of the local arena for the season has been delayed due to ongoing repairs.

The ice at the Fort Smith Centennial Arena is usually ready to go in early October, but it's not clear when it will be ready this year.

It's not the first year the arena had to postpone its opening. In 2022, the opening was delayed due to a fire-suppression system failure, and then the arena closed its doors just one week after opening because of a broken glycol pump.

This year's delayed opening has sparked disappointment among some parents and ice users, particularly those involved in the local minor hockey program.

Angela Marie, whose two children participate in minor hockey in Fort Smith, expressed her concerns in an open letter to the mayor. She said residents are growing increasingly frustrated with the recurring issues that prevent the arena from being available at the start of the season.

"Playing hockey increases our kid's cardiovascular fitness, improves overall strength, helps to develop hand-eye coordination," she wrote. "It also increases our kids' social and communication skills."

Approximately 85 youth rely on the arena for hockey and other ice sports, Marie said.

The facility's ongoing maintenance problems have caused her to question the town's leadership and planning.

"My kids, and other kids in the community, are paying the price for the lack of properly-planned maintenance in the Fort Smith Centennial Arena," she wrote. 

Speaking to CBC News, she said the delay has been particularly hard on her daughter.

"She loves hockey, she loves being on the ice. She more so loves the social aspect of it and being with her friends — but it is disappointing," she said.

Aging infrastructure, staffing issues

Some residents, including Marie, say they're planning to attend a town meeting next week to discuss the issue directly with leadership. 

Emily Colucci, the director of community services for the Town of Fort Smith, says she's also frustrated with the delayed opening of the arena. 

Colucci explained that the delay is because of a break in one of the arena's sprinkler lines, which was discovered in July. While doing those repairs and re-pressurizing the system, staff discovered other areas that were at a high risk for failure.

Colucci referred to challenges posed by aging infrastructure, as well as staffing issues across the country.

She said a contractor was scheduled to come in to fix it mid-September but was forced to cancel the planned work due to an emergency.

"Then it was the scramble to get another contractor in place with the ice season right on the horizon," she said.

She also said the ice plant in the arena is original to the building, and the equipment that's operating continuously requires regular maintenance and repairs to stay functional.

"They're working around the clock. And so we just try to keep having a cycle of repairs and refurbishments of these pumps," she said.

Colucci says the town is committed to getting the equipment operational as soon as possible and addressing any issues that arise. She said the town has been committed to transparency throughout the process.

"We want this community to come together, have places where they feel safe," she said. "It's important to us as an organization, it's important to me personally to see that, and I think that's what we're all striving toward. 

"Part of what makes this community so special is what we have access to when it comes to [recreational] services." 

Colucci said that the repair work on the sprinkler system is nearly complete, and the next step is to bring in a refrigeration technician to start up the ice plant. She couldn't say when that might be, or when the arena would be ready to open. 

"Once we have the ice plant started, we can start making ice," she said.