FORT SIMPSON - Work has begun in the Fort Simpson arena to prepare for the instalment of a concrete pad.

Corey Sibbeston, pictured, and Josh Allen have been removing the boards in the Fort Simpson arena to prepare it for the concrete pad project. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The pad is being installed to cover the floor that is currently made of packed sand. The pad is one of the projects, along with a new pool and a possible skatepark, that were chosen by the Tri-Council to be financed by the Community Capacity Building Fund.

A concrete pad will make the arena a more useable space in the months when there isn't ice, said Andrew Hillaby, the village's recreation director. The sand is currently a deterrent for holding events in the arena.

The concrete will also aid in the creation of the ice sheet.

Because the concrete is expected to maintain its temperature better than sand, the ice season is expected to be a few weeks longer at both its beginning and end, said Hillaby. The creation of the ice will also require less water and time because staff won't have to spend a month wetting down the sand to saturate it so ice can be built on top, he added.

To prepare for the installment of the pad, on Aug. 7 Corey Sibbeston and Josh Allen, two summer facility maintainers at the recreation centre, began the process of removing the boards surrounding the arena.

The boards have to be removed so the contractor will have access to the area underneath and behind the boards, Hillaby said. The sand will be dug out so a proper base can be created, onto which the concrete will be poured. The top of the concrete has to remain at the same height the sand currently is, he said.

With the two staff working for six days straight, as of Aug. 13, the board removal is almost halfway finished, said Hillaby.

"I'm very pleased with the progress so far. They're doing a fantastic job," he said.

The removal, however, isn't an easy job.

"There's nothing glamorous about it. Lots of coffee and loud music," said Hillaby.

The hardest part of the job is pulling off the plywood sheeting, said Corey Sibbeston. The removal requires a lot of force and some crowbars.

Despite the progress being made inside the arena, the process leading up to having the concrete installed has been delayed, said Tom Matus, the village's senior administrative officer.

The village expected the process to design, tender and build both the concrete pad and the new pool would move much faster, said Matus. At this point in the summer it was expected construction on the two structures would be wrapping up.

During the next two weeks, Dillon Consulting Ltd., the company the village hired to design, tender and supervise construction, is expected to deliver the final designs for the pool and the arena. After village council has approved the designs and costs, the tendering process will begin.

Matus said he doesn't have an estimate for when the tendering process will be complete.

Although the process is behind schedule, Matus said the plan is still to have the concrete in place in the arena before the beginning of the hockey season.