Dartmouth's much-anticipated 4-rink arena opens this evening
Pam Berman | CBC News | Posted: September 8, 2017 6:58 PM | Last Updated: September 8, 2017
Coun. Tony Mancini says there's lots of excitement and ice times have already been booked
After 18 months of construction, the $43-million four-arena complex in Dartmouth is scheduled to open this evening.
The Zambonis are standing by, the ice is in and players are keen to be the first to cut the surface with their blades.
Doors are scheduled to open at 5 p.m., said project manager Darren Young.
The councillor for the area said he's been fielding lots of anxious calls since Labour Day.
"There's lots of excitement," said Tony Mancini. "The ice is already booked, the leagues are organized and waiting to go."
The Dartmouth four-pad is located at 259 Commodore Dr. in the Burnside area, next to a beach volleyball facility and an all-weather sports field.
There are three NHL-sized rinks and one Olympic-sized arena, which includes a storage area for the speed-skating community.
There are also 30 dressing rooms for referees and players, including four at one end of the complex that will be available for the teams that use the sports field.
And while the ice and dressing rooms will soon be in use, work will be ongoing on some of the finishing touches, such as the entranceway and public art in the front lobby, the upstairs canteen and the outside connections to the adjacent sports field.
City looking for a name
Meanwhile, the municipality has put out a call for naming rights for the building. Interested corporations can buy the rights for a name on the overall complex, as well as the individual rinks and the two meeting rooms.
Mancini thinks companies will be interested because of the location.
"Burnside is the mecca of business in HRM and we're very close to the Dartmouth Crossing [retail district]," said Mancini. "It's really attractive."
Applications for names must be in by Oct. 5. Council has the final say and that's expected by the end of December.