By Thia James

Melfort looks to replace deteriorating Main Arena

Sep 30, 2014 | 6:46 AM

The City of Melfort has closed the 83-year-old Main Arena indefinitely after a routine inspection revealed structural and air quality issues.

Its city council is now looking at tearing down and replacing the arena. It discussed this option during a special council meeting, Mayor Rick Lang said on Monday.

He said repairing the aging arena, which has a roof that is sagging and leaking, would cost an estimated $400,000. “But my experience is, of course, always, that you get an estimate and by the time you’re done, the costs are always higher it seems.

“So council took the position that we would be looking at somewhere around a half a million dollars going in to that building, and that would be I guess a patch fix us what we would consider it, and then we would still have an 80-plus year old building on our hands,” Lang said.

Council has left the plan to replace the Main Arena in the hands of the community services department. Lang said the department will be figuring out costs, potential sites and timelines and then council will make a decision.

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The arena was home to the Melfort Mustangs for a short duration, and has been used for minor and recreational hockey and figure skating. Main Arena had been renovated in 2007, and at the time its life expectancy was estimated to be another 15 years.

At the end of this past summer season, the City’s chief building official filed a report to the community services department, which found problems about the moisture level in the roof system. The smell of mold was detected during the course of inspection. The building official deemed the arena unsafe for public use based on the deterioration.

The City is awaiting the results of an air quality test that measures the level of toxicity in the arena’s air as the result of black mold. The building has also been proven to contain asbestos, although officials say that has not caused any air contamination.

The results of the air quality tests are expected to come in later this week.

In the meantime, while the arena is closed, ice time will be re-allocated to the Northern Lights Palace. Lang said they are trying to fit as many users into the newer arena as they can. The City has also spoken with the Town of Star City and the Town of Kinistino about making use of their ice facilities if needed, he said.

Lang said council did come to a consensus that two ice surfaces are needed in Melfort , and the palace only provides one ice surface. He said this is why they’re looking at the replacement of the Main Arena as the city’s second ice surface.

“Based on the usage that currently exists in both of those facilities and the fact that the city is growing … it’s not declining in population, it’s growing annually and our housing permits and building permits and all that kind of stuff substantiate the fact that we are a growing community,” he said.

One of the user groups that will be affected by the closure is Melfort Minor Hockey Association. About 16-20 teams use the rink and the association typically has about 200 players involved. Its president, Brad Hicks, said the Main Arena hosted a lot of the association’s games as well as practices.

“It’s been a severe blow to us. We actually had more usage of the Main Arena than we did of the Palace. I think the City has been, you know, working hard with us to … try to accommodate more hours in the palace, so that’s been very much appreciated, but obviously, we cannot get all the hours that we were using before,” Hicks said.

He said they are going to continue to look at the other options available that would allow them to offer the same programs at the same level.

However, when he looks ahead, Hicks is optimistic about this season. He said the board has been working “tirelessly,” and the City has been working closely with the board and other groups as well.

The adult recreational leagues set their games aside and put the children first, Hicks said.

“The community’s really pulling together to try and make things happen … As most towns… the hockey rink’s the main fixture in the community and it’s such a big part of kids’ lives, and we’re … really working hard to make sure we can keep the programs the way [that’s] up to everybody’s expectations.”

In terms of what the building means to the community, Lang said that the Main Arena isn’t as historically significant as other buildings in the city, such as the Melfort Post Office.

“It’s not really a landmark in the city. More of a landmark than the Main Arena would be the Northern Lights Palace. You know, the newer version of the arena. So, it doesn’t seem to be an issue from any of the feedback that I’ve heard that we would replace and demolish that particular facility.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames