Town of Battleford planning million-dollar arena upgrades

Jan 18, 2018 | 3:00 PM

The Town of Battleford is moving ahead with plans to upgrade the Battleford arena.

At its last meeting, council approved replacing the ice plant and upgrading the arena’s electrical system.

“We are currently finishing up the design with our engineering firm,” Director of Parks and Recreation Jordan Schechtel said. “Then, we hope to have the tender out by the end of January, with construction to go ahead this summer.”

The estimated cost for the project ranges from roughly $1 million to $1.6 million, which will be included in the town’s 2018 budget.

“We’re hoping they will be substantially lower when the tenders actually come in,” Schechtel said.

The ice plant upgrades will included changes to the ice plant room’s exterior, building a stand for the plant’s condenser and switching the type of refrigerant to meet environmental requirements. 

Schechtel said the changes will lead to better efficiency and utility bill savings. He added the work needs to be done now since the current plant is at the end of its life span. 

“Because of those two factors, it was kind of clear we should replace the plant rather than put more money into fixing it up and extending the life span,” the director said.

The town hopes to have the project completed in time for the start of the next arena season, beginning in October. The upgrade work will take place this summer.

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow