4-year-old Truro rink needs $500K upgrade, says GM

The Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro, N.S., needs a $500,000 upgrade only four years after it opened, its general manager says.

The centre's dehumidification system needs to be upgraded, Matt Moore told CBC Radio's Mainstreet Halifax. That echoed what the building's board of directors told the municipal governments in Truro and Colchester County last week. 

• From 2014: Rath Eastlink Community Centre rink shuts down indefinitely

Moore says if the town and county councils agree to the spending during votes in January, it will improve the lifespan of other systems in the $50-million building and allow the centre to attract signature events.

Fog and poor ice forced the cancellation of a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season game involving the Halifax Mooseheads last year. Moore said the facility is particularly prone to humidity when large crowds fill the 2,500-seat rink, as they did then.

"Ten years from now we don't want to be faced with the need for a multimillion dollar investment for new refrigeration equipment either, or replacing roof trusses or any of those things that could result from inadequate de-humidification," Moore said.

"I think it's good that we're getting ahead of it now."

GM blames global warming

As manager of the centre's daily operations, Moore said he wouldn't speak to the history of how the facility was built. 

"I think it can be basically [the councils'] decision if they want to move forward to re-evaluate how it ended up being constructed the way it was," he said.

"But I think we really owe it to our taxpayers to protect this investment and maximize all the potential that we have with it."

Moore did say he places part of the blame on global warming.

"The engineers will often look at the history of facilities, and I think not too long ago we could get away with maybe eight months of fall-winter conditions, and now consistently we run into days where there's summer-like conditions that can happen in any month of the year," he said.

Installation completed in 2017

He said if council approves the spending, it should take 14 to 18 weeks to install a new de-humidification system. Moore said the project should be completed by the spring or summer of 2017. 

Moore said he doesn't expect the installation to have a big impact on events, as the system would be attached outside.

Once completed, the facility would be able to attract more events like the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling that took place there in October 2015, he said. Moore said the event brought in $2 million to the local economy.

• Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling at new Truro arena

"I think there's a lot more that we can attract to this region if we have that reliability in the facility."