The $3 million multi-use facility expansion of the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena in Burns Lake is on schedule and on budget, said Village of Burns Lake (VBL) Chief Administrative Officer, Sheryl Worthing. Completion is expected towards the end of January, 2014, although unexpected delays can never be discounted.
The general contractor,Venture Pacific Construction Management (VPCM), has made good on its earlier assurances that it would hire a local workforce as much as possible. Worthing reports that the majority of the construction has been done by local and area contractors.
At press time, VPCM was not available to provide a detailed list of local contractors hired for the project.
The initial concrete foundation work is complete. It accommodates small grade changes between the hockey rink, the curling rink, and the former parking area built over in the expansion.
Gentle ramps or stairs are built into the concrete foundation, as is a small elevator. Foundation work was a key part of the project. The entire footprint is poured concrete and not a stick-framed floor. Rick Martin, VBL director of public works said that it’s all built to last, but it had to be done right the first time.
Major overhead sprinkler upgrades to the hockey arena are complete and pressurized, ready for the Sept. 23 start of on-ice activities. A new Lakes District Secondary School hockey program, and the Burns Lake Minor Hockey League with its pre-season Power Skating Program, will both be on ice before the end of the month.
The new kitchen concession won’t be ready until the facility itself is complete. The kitchen was completely dismantled, with as much as possible of the original equipment being reused as possible to save cost, and will now be located behind the existing curling rink viewing area.
The curling rink ice is expected to be ready in October. Half of the curved curling rink roof has already been stripped of its old layers of roofing material, reinforced through an engineered layout of new plywood sheathing, and clad again with new underlayment and metal roofing panels.
Venture Pacific site manager Rick Williston said there have been the kind of minor delays you’d expect when construction involves as much renovation to an existing structure as this project does. None of the delays will hold up the planned schedule of trades people to have the project completed early in the new year.
As expected, the facility will house a resizable court to accommodate squash and racquetball, two large multi-use rooms, a new fitness facility, a climbing wall and showers.