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Arena woes in the Kivalliq Darrell Greer Northern News Services Published Wednesday, December 7, 2011
In Arviat, a problem with preparation for pouring a concrete floor, bad weather and suspected sabotage have combined to keep the arena closed until, possibly, the new year. The first installation of reinforcement bars, or rebar, by a construction crew didn't go well so the rebar had to be removed and reinstalled before the concrete floor could be poured. Then a cement mixer's engine seized due to sand being put inside and, finally, a major blizzard came calling to further delay the work. Then a cement mixer's engine seized due to sand being put inside and, finally, a major blizzard came calling to further delay the work. Arviat Councillor Gleason Uppahuak said the situation is not acceptable, but that there isn't much the community can do but wait until the work is completed. He said there's now concern the arena won't be ready in time to host the annual Jon Lindell Memorial adult hockey tournament, which is scheduled to get underway on Jan. 19. "Nobody knows who, how or where the sand was put into the mixer, but the engine seized up after running for only five minutes," said Uppahuak. "A lot of people are upset by this in the community and that feeling will grow the longer our arena stays closed." Mayor Bob Leonard said the situation is disappointing because the community was anticipating an earlier start to skating and hockey this year with the new thermosyphon system installed at the arena. He said the crew at the arena now seems to have turned things around, but, with weather and equipment issues, there's no firm date for it to open. "I'll be very surprised if it's open by Christmas because they're just running out of time," said Leonard. "The rebars are all ready to go and they, probably, would have been pouring early this past week if it wasn't for the weather. "As for the mixer, nobody really knows where the damage, or sabotage, was done because it could have happened on the barge, on the train or here in our community. "They know the equipment was checked and certified before heading to Arviat, and they know when they went to use it, it had been sabotaged, but that's it." Leonard said youth in the community are getting a little antsy about starting hockey, but, traditionally, the sport would just be starting in Arviat. He said those feelings will intensify if things stretch into the new year. "None of this affected the thermosyphons or any other part of the building, so it could have been worse. "It seems they have it under control now, but, they're also into winter weather and its uncertainties, so we're not there yet. "Once the concrete floor is in, we're also getting new boards, glass and nets." A blown crankshaft in Rankin had the arena crew scrambling to get the building open in time for an Arctic Winter Games bantam hockey tryout this past weekend. Rec co-ordinator David Clark said the affected pump was the newest part of the system when repairs and upgrades were done this past summer, so it wasn't worked on while the money went into more pressing needs. He said the main pump in the system maintains the flow of coolant between the coolers and compressors, as well as the liquid tank and the pipes beneath the ice surface on the arena floor. "Three pumps run the system - one for the rink, one for the curling ice and a main pump - and it was the main pump that went down," said Clark. "You can't run the system without it and, with the warmer temperatures we had at the end of November, everything was melting. "Pumps can wear out quite frequently, but, at the same time, it's a concern because we keep putting a lot of money into repairs and they don't last as long as I would hope before something else goes wrong. "At least this time a pump is one of the cheapest parts of the system, so we're looking at that as a good thing." The arena was closed for about six days until temperatures dropped enough this past week to allow the arena crew to get a solid sheet of natural ice ready. Clark said he hopes the plant will be operational again by the end of this week. He said it would have been sooner, but for the three-day blizzard that hit the region. "The plant was working great and just when I was feeling positive about how things were going, this happens. "Sometimes it seems like if it's not one thing, it's another. "Our rink's getting pretty old and, just like with our swimming pool, we put as much effort into it as we can, but we always seem to find ourselves behind the eight-ball. "Unfortunately, there's only so much you can do with a facility this old that's used so much."
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