The New and the Old

Our Youth Arena has been standing strong for over 40 years now, supported by the work that volunteers performed at the beginning of the 1970’s to make it a reality.  Time plays an ever present role in wearing out parts and breaking down natural materials, and the time had come for an ambitious helping hand at the arena.

The outdated ice making equipment that was lovingly kept running with hard work, elbow grease and a prayer or two, has been replaced with brand new equipment in a refurbished space.  In the past two years, the arena has seen the addition of a new header, new chiller, two new compressors, new brine pump, new heat reclamation tank, and all the required associated sensors, valves and piping.  This replacement project has been extensive and expensive, but was absolutely necessary to the arena’s continuation of life.

Extending the arena’s life has taken many hours of volunteer work and a great deal of money to make it happen.  This part of our rejuvenation would not have been possible without the support of the Youth Arena directors, the citizens of Lawrencetown and Area, the CBC-Kraft Hockeyville organization, the Municipality of Annapolis County, the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, the Ice Rink Energy Program, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and every helping hand that has been offered along the path to where we are.

Our thanks to everyone for how far we have come are genuine and heartfelt.   It is without doubt one of the shining examples of how working together in rural Canada makes amazing things happen.  But, we are not finished….!

With the ability to make ice reliably and as efficiently as possible, we must turn our attention to the building structure.  The wear and tear of years on the building has taken its toll and we must revitalize its underpinnings to preserve it.  The under-floor drainage will be refurbished and upgraded, and the posts will be supported with underpinnings of steel bracket and concrete ‘feet’.  With an improved ability to continuously drain water from under the floor the building will no longer be so strongly affected by frost heaves, and the reconstructed support for the posts will ensure their longevity far into the future.

The crew has been busy since we closed for the season on March 31^st! Every attempt was made to remove the ice as quickly as possible so work could begin.  As you can see from the photos, the ice is gone, some walls are gone, asphalt has been removed and the digging of the drainage ditches has begun in earnest.

New to the arena this year are the Pipe Rollers.  With portions of the floor to be removed, the distribution pipes could not stay in their usual corners for the summer season.  Butch built 18 Rollers and the pipes were carefully rolled and strapped in position.  You’d want more than one person to move these around!

You won’t see the familiar summer face of the canteen anymore! The equipment has been tucked away in the cooking area behind the interior wall and the counters have disappeared. Before Exhibition 2013, we’ll see a new face to the canteen, but before then there is much to do!

Along the side walls you’ll see the forms for the upcoming new ‘feet’ of the posts, ready to be put together for the first set of post feet.

The flooring has been lifted by dressing room #1, where you can see the header pipe that runs under that floor, and we’ve said goodbye to the old steel wall that bordered that hallway!

While the pipes are tucked away, the brine from the distribution pipes has been stored in tanks in the zamboni room – 1000 litres a tank!

A 12 foot section of asphalt has been cut away so there is room to dig down and work on the new post feet. The arena roof is supported by 49 wooden posts and they will all receive a ‘footlift’!

The posts at the west end of the arena are hidden inside the walls, but they will receive new feet as well!

The excavator has been busy, filling the dump truck for hauling away.  The engineer has been in to review what lies beneath the asphalt and we are moving ahead to dig, refurbish and drain.

Watch all the happenings here! There is much to do and much to have back together again before the Annapolis Valley Exhibition begins on August 12^th!!