By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
Almost four million dollars in rehabilitation work has been approved for the Oliver & District Arena.
The Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) awarded the contract for up to $3,844,257, plus applicable taxes to Wildstone Construction Ltd. at their April 18 meeting.
The money will go towards the following rehabilitation work:
- Replacement of the arena ice slab and the rink dasher board system;
- Installation of an energy recovery system and upgrades to the arena refrigeration system controls;
- Completion of code upgrades to the life safety system;
- Renovations to dressing rooms and washrooms to meet current accessibility standards;
- Renovations to the kitchen.
Martin Johansen, Mayor of Oliver, said in the meeting, “We are spending a lot of money and it is coming in within the anticipated budgets and the timelines look like we are going to be in good shape.”
The primary funding for the project, $2,306,485 is coming from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). The remaining funding of $1,537,772 will be coming from the RDOS operating reserves, capital reserves and borrowing.
The Oliver & District Arena has been in operation for over five decades since 1968 and many of the key components have reached the end of their useful life.
The report to the RDOS notes that “the looped cooling system and slab floor are failing, multiple building features no longer meet safety codes, and the facility does not meet current accessibility standards.”
