THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
Don Webb's first recollection of the Centennial Arena goes all the way back to 1972, the year he arrived in the community.
Don Webb, a long-time resident of Fort Smith, was instrumental in keeping Centennial Arena open following a fire in 2013. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo |
"The first electrical job I did in Fort Smith was hooking up the artificial ice plant," he recalled.
It is appropriate therefore that Webb - a town councillor - was also instrumental in the arena's ongoing recovery from a fire in May 2013.
When many thought the arena would have to close for repairs, it was his idea to wall off the damaged section and keep using the undamaged ice surface.
"It's because I believe it's the country of Canada, not Can't-ada," he said.
"When I brought it up, they said, 'You can't do it.' I said, 'Come on. There's got to be a way. The ice surface is perfectly good. The ice plant is perfectly good. That's all you need for having ice and a facility. What do we have to do to make it work?'"
So, he spoke to the town's insurance company and their adjusters, who told Webb to talk to the NWT Fire Marshall to work out the details of his idea for keeping the arena open.
"To me, it's extremely important ... to all of the groups that utilize it, because, if they would have had to go two or three years without an arena, then all of those groups would have been defunct," he said.
Webb then served on council's arena committee, which worked with user groups to come up with a plan to make $6.85 million in extra renovations beyond the repairs paid for by insurance.
The renovations are expected to extend the lifespan of the arena, which was opened in 1967, by at least 35 years.
The work is well underway and is expected to be completed by the fall.
Webb is very happy with the work so far.
"It's all coming together now," he said.
"You can really see the big picture, and it's going to be an amazing facility when it's done."
Webb expects the arena will become more important to the town, and more people will use it.
"Because now it's going to be an active, four-seasons building," he said.
Back in 1972, Webb - accompanied by his wife and their two-month-old daughter - first came to Fort Smith to visit a friend. The couple fell in love with the community and decided to raise their expanding family there. The couple's son was born in 1974.
"We just thought it was great," said Webb, noting it was a very peaceful community where everyone seemed to get along and the summers were beautiful.
Plus, he liked Fort Smith because he is originally from a very small community in northern Saskatchewan.
"You either like it or you don't," he said of living in a small northern community.
"You either fit in or you don't, because it's different."
The 67-year-old Webb, who is now retired, said he has never regretted settling in Fort Smith.
"Fort Smith has treated us very well and we've enjoyed our life here," he said, adding he and his wife now have two grandchildren living in the community.
In addition to starting - and eventually selling - his own company, D&D Electric, he has worked for the Town of Fort Smith for 13 years, starting as a lands officer, moving on to become a
public works foreman and now taking on the role of acting senior administrative officer.
Webb has also been involved in a number of sports, including curling, softball and golfing.
Plus, he has been on town council for close to a decade, including a few years in the 1970s.
"I really believe in one thing and that is that you either live off of the town or live in the town, and for us that live in the town, you've got to be involved, because if you're not going to be involved, who is?" he said.
"You can't complain about what's going on if you're not getting involved and rolling your sleeves up and getting dirty and becoming part of it ... We have to do it together or it's going to fail."
