Rath Eastlink Community Centre needs new ceiling to fix ice woes
A low emission ceiling has been suggested by engineers and architects
There may be a costly solution for ice maintenance problems at Truro, Nova Scotia's new $48-million community centre that kept the ice surface too soft for skating.
Last August and September, the Rath Eastlink Community Centre had to shut down the rink for a few days. Events had to be cancelled.
Centre board member Bill Masters says it was frustrating for such a new complex.
"It's not what this building was designed to do and not what we wanted to do," he said.
Masters says the engineers and architects were called late last fall to investigate. They determined energy loads, or heat, on the ice surface had to be reduced.
In January, the glycol concentration was increased to help keep the the concrete floor cooler, but the experts also recommended another fix that is a bit more expensive.
On Tuesday, Colchester County which along with the town of Truro owns the centre, issued a tender for a low emission ceiling.
It would be a silvery fabric barrier directly over the ice surface. A similar ceiling is in place at the nearby Legion Stadium.
"The purpose is to create an environment inside the arena that is easier to maintain," Masters explained. "And it does that by blocking heat from the sun from entering the building through the roof and entering the building and warming that up."
It is a solution used at many rinks across Nova Scotia, but one officials were told was not needed at Rath Eastlink Community Centre. It was designed like Halifax's Scotiabank Center as an event facility.
"This is a building that we are proud of," Masters said. "It has kinks that we are working out and this is one of them."
The new ceiling is expected to cost between $40,000 and $60,000 and will be installed this summer.
The owners are still locked in a lawsuit with the building contractors PCL Construction.