Inuvik (Nov 05/04) - The town has a week to come up with drawings that will keep Inuvik's new natural gas-fuelled Zamboni on the ice.

Use of the machine was thrown into doubt after a Public Works inspection deemed the Zamboni's filling station, located inside the arena, potentially hazardous.

The rec centre's new natural gas-powered Zamboni may be getting some time off from duty due to safety concerns. - Jason Unrau/NNSL photo

"Under normal circumstances you would not have a gas filling station inside where electrical fixtures are not explosion-proof," said Public Works electrical inspector for Inuvik Mike Whiteside. "This could have been avoided if the town had followed procedures and got an engineer to oversee the design of the room."

Previously, the arena employed a propane-powered ice cleaner, but in August the town replaced it with a $100,000 natural gas one. After a frantic day of work Monday, Mayor Peter Clarkson convinced Public Works to hold off for a week to allow time for blueprints of the filling station to be drawn up.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Zamboni can be refuelled between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the outside door to the garage must be open at least six feet during refuelling.

According to the mayor, Public Works gave the town the go-ahead with the gas infill installation that was completed in August.

Clarkson said Public Works never asked for any technical drawings of the Zamboni room's wiring and machinery. The mayor estimates getting those drawings could cost the town $10,000.

"If we needed the drawings, I wish (Public Works) would've told us back in August," he said.

"There's no mechanical or electrical engineer in town, so we're going to have to fly them in to do the work." However, Whiteside said that no permission from Public Works was ever given to install the indoor fill station. As to the issue of getting the technical drawings, Whiteside said inspectors can request those at any time and the town should have considered getting them before going ahead with the installation.