Baldur Rec Centre plans substantial upgrade
Have you ever heard the hilarious story about the guy that suggested to his wife they should change the curtains in the kitchen and before he knew it, they had remodeled the whole kitchen and added a three-season room? Well, wait until you hear about our upgrades to the Zamboni shed.
If you have ever been in the shed that was built between two of the rafters and squished up against the sidewalk forty years ago you will know it was always pretty cramped for space. After several years of use and abuse it needs an overhaul. When exploring options for a new location, the topic of new dressing rooms came up. The committee debated options for additions on every corner of the rink, possibly reconfiguring the basements to connect them and make new dressing rooms, and even removing the entire waiting room area and starting over from scratch!
We soon realized we needed professional help to design something to suit our needs and were recommended to contact Micheal J. Cox of Brandon. The Rec Centre Committee created a three-person sub-committee to coordinate with Mr. Cox and explore the options and eventually create drawings that could be used to prepare estimates and apply for grants. At the initial meeting, a tour of the entire facility was done along with a history of the major projects done over the first 60ish years of its history. He spent a day measuring the entire facility and considering our list of wants and needs. After several versions of the plans, each one refining the plan and making it ‘just a little bit better’, here is the million-dollar solution.
The first good news from Mr. Cox was that the bones of our hockey rink are still in great shape. The beams and their support are solid, and the new exterior tin installed following the hailstorm a few years ago will protect it for several years. The recent LED lighting installation, new puck board and doors has made the playing surface better than it has ever been. The bad news, that we were well aware of, was there is no room in the existing building to satisfy our needs that would pass current building codes. The new design is a radical change to the existing building, but we feel this will greatly improve the facility for the next several decades.
We have met with the municipal council, town board and MB Hydro to get their unofficial approvals to proceed and have agreed in principle with the following plan.
The new dressing rooms will be located on the north side of the hockey rink, beginning where the existing main entrance to the rink is located and will extend north to include the existing sidewalk, and will go west to a few feet past the existing tractor shed. The existing tractor shed goes to the south side of the sidewalk; this addition will include the entire sidewalk. This will eliminate parking along the north side of the rink, but there will be ample room for a new sidewalk. The main entrance is moving further east so the parking area will be improved on the east side along the curling rink to replace the lost parking spaces.
A new main entrance will be created to enter the building in the kitchen area. Changes to the stairs to the upper viewing lounge will see them originate in the kitchen as well. A wheelchair lift to move between the two floors and an accessible gender-neutral family washroom will address many current shortfalls in the facility. The existing men’s washroom on the main floor will be remodelled to create the new accessible gender-neutral family bathroom with a new, larger men’s washroom extending into the existing entrance and part of the stairway.
The project will remove significant physical and safety barriers but providing free entry, a lift to access upper level spaces, accessible washroom facilities with appropriate turning radius for mobility devices, and improved emergency egress. These improvements promote dignity, independence, and equitable participating for athletes, families and visitors with mobility, sensory or other disabilities.
The scope of the plan is quite large so it is felt a three-phase approach would be best, but we are optimistic the entire project could be completed if sufficient grants can be obtained and our fund-raising is successful. Phase one includes all the changes in the kitchen, the new entrance, the lift and the washroom changes. The estimates for this phase are just under $150,000.
Phase two of the project is the four new dressing rooms, a referee room and, oh ya, renovating the tractor shed. The overhead door used in the summer to get to the beer gardens will be moved to the north but will have a longer hallway. The benefit to the summer users is the entrance to the referee room is on this hallway so there will be an accessible washroom available out there. The estimate to construct this building and related works is approximately $600,000.
What’s left for phase three you ask. Early in the discussions, Mr. Cox asked if our existing geo-thermal ice plant for the curling ice would generate enough excess heat for the new dressing rooms. An email to the engineer that installed the system was sent along with the joke “unless you have an ice plant to put on the hockey side, haha”. He called us right away and eventually came to confirm his memory from when he was here a decade ago and he is convinced we could install a new conventional ice plant and keep the floor usable in the summer without having to lay concrete. His estimate was just under $250,000 with all new equipment; less if we purchased a used plant. This phase needs more planning and foresight to determine the best option as the ‘life-cycle cost’ of some plants would require more funds initially with a smaller ongoing expense, for example.
So, that’s how much it costs to renovate the tractor shed, about a million dollars. It sounds like a lot of money, because it is, but if we can complete all three phases of the project, our Rec Centre will be set for the next few generations to use. With the addition of artificial ice, it is hoped to guarantee the November to March season, even with warmer winters predicted. Our community is blessed to have many young families staying or moving back, which is projected to have big kindergarten classes in the near future. When the idea of artificial ice first came up we didn’t think it was possible, but after speaking with the engineer and looking at the whole project, we decided it makes the most sense to do it all – without the artificial ice the dressing rooms are not as needed, but there is no sense putting it in without new dressing rooms. The projects really go hand-in-hand.
We will soon be creating a fund-raising committee for this project as we realize this will be a multi-year project that will need some substantial effort on our part even if we get some grants. We have already applied for a couple grants for the first phase. We also are aware that the operating costs of the facility will increase immediately, whereas it may take time to increase the use enough to cover the expenses. We are looking at some annual fund-raising to help with these cost overruns, but more details will be made available when that time comes. Other fund-raising ideas for the construction phase include selling naming rights for the new dressing rooms, perhaps a community auction or other big events.
Stay tuned for further updates as we progress with the upgrades.
PHOTO CAPTION: The location of the proposed new hockey dressing rooms, referree room and tractor shed is along this area, extending over the existing sidewalk. It is a radical change, but it would add value to the facility for many years.
