Special Meeting Of Council
Deals With Ice Surface Issue
Council Received Supplementary Information
Relating To Roof Construction Over
Central Park Outdoor Rink
A special meeting of Collingwood Council was held at 9am on Saturday, February 20th. At that time, Council received supplementary information relating to the construction of a roof over the Central Park outdoor ice surface.
Council discussed whether or not to allocate an upset limit of $100,000 from general reserve to undertake the appropriate site plan review including the drainage plan/stormwater management review, snow load and impact review, parking availability, heritage assessment and review of the potential impact on the YMCA expansion and current lease agreement.
Peter Dunbar, Director of Leisure Services, outlined in a staff report, that the objective of covering the outdoor ice surface at Central Park is to provide a more reliable facility that can be used routinely by local sporting associations. In addition to increasing the rental bookings of the facility on a daily basis, the season would be extended earlier in the fall and later in the spring if the ice surface were protected from the elements.
Council learned more about proposed options, including the creation of an air-supported structure (bubble) that is commonly used to cover many recreational facilities including tennis courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, golf driving ranges, soccer fields and multi-purpose sports arenas. Dunbar's staff report also detailed a Fabric Cover System. Fabric covered structures are steel-framed engineered fabric buildings designed to meet specific climate and size requirements. Examples of common uses include a riding arena, an equipment storage building a dairy bar, a building for salt and sand storage or a small event centre. A Pre-engineered Steel Rool option was presented that would see a steel-roof constructed, designed to withstand weather requirements, provide stable ice surace and be consistent with phase two of the original plans to develop Central Park's outdoor ice surface into a fully enclosed facility.
It is estimated that a cost of one million dollars would be realistic to construct a roof over the outdoor ice surface.
Council continues to consider the matter as the budget process moves forward. Town of Collingwood CAO Kim Wingrove has suggested the town cut five million dollars from the proposed 2010 figure. This would mean postponing the construction of the new Wellness Centre at Heritage Park and the new public works garage. Also, proposed property purchases associated with the proposed construction of a new roundabout on High Street could be put on hold.
Collingwood's outdoor rink is popular when conditions are good, but weather including bright sunshine can make conditions unreliable
