The Smithers Civic Centre arena, one of two sheets of indoor ice in Smithers, remains closed.
It was scheduled to be opened earlier this month, however, the ongoing ice plant replacement project completion date has been delayed by six weeks.
According to the town, there has been a challenge in producing and shipping a vital piece of equipment from the U.S.
“The scope of the project is complete replacement of all the old equipment and controls with new, technologically-advanced equipment and digital controls,” explained Director of Development Services Mark Allen.
“Whereas the old equipment had a 20-year lifespan, the new equipment is expected to last over 40 years.”
The total project budget is $1.7 million and Allen said the delay will not impact the budget.
The opening day for the old arena is now scheduled for December 1, 2023.
All bookings in the Civic Centre between October 16, 2023 - November 30 have been cancelled.
The town is taking all necessary steps to complete this project without any further delays, it said. The town’s website states users displaced from the Civic Centre can request ice time at the new arena, if available.
But only having one sheet of ice for the fall season is already causing havoc on user groups.
The Smithers Minor Hockey Association hosted the 9th Annual Jim Bolster Tournament Oct. 5-8, but some games had to be moved to the arena in Hazelton.
Organizers also said they had to turn away four teams due to lack of available ice.
The Smithers Figure Skating Club said they have also had to make some adjustments.
They have a big competition scheduled for Dec. 1 and President Carrie Collingwood is nervous the civic centre won’t be ready in time.
“It’s the biggest competition in the Northwest region with close to 200 figure skaters coming,” she said. “The good news is, the town has confirmed that if the civic centre is not open, they will give us the new rink. But the new rink is not set up for competition. There’s no sound system. There are no bleachers. There is not enough multi-purpose rooms.”
Collingwood said the toughest part of not being able to use the civic centre is the lack of training resources, including a jumper harness that is in that arena.
“We have skaters that are trying to compete for BC Winter Games,” she added.
“We have skaters right now down at a Super Series. So they’re missing out on some of the resources that we’re used to having.”
READ MORE: A grand opening for new arena
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