Directors on the SCRD’s infrastructure committee are recommending changes to arena operations that would see ice remain in the Sunshine Coast Arena in Sechelt until April 30 this year, and until the end of May starting in 2020.
A report to the committee from Ian Hall, general manager of planning and community development, said having ice in May this year would interfere with plans to install a new chiller.
The recommendations also include starting the ice season at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre in August beginning this year, and that any discussions around ice in June be put on hold for now.
The recommendations come in the wake of intense lobbying from the Sunshine Coast Skating Club and Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association for more ice availability, which “would represent a 20 per cent increase in ice days delivered compared to the historical average,” according to Hall’s report.
Dry floor users, like the roller derby team, lacrosse and pickleball associations, argued equally forcefully that they should not lose access to the facilities in order to satisfy the request from the ice users.
“The approach considers a balance of positive and negative impacts to user groups,” Hall said in his report. “Negative impacts can be mitigated through pre-planning, leveraging the Joint Use Agreement [with School District No. 46] and the development of new programming.”
Gibsons director Bill Beamish said he felt it was important to support the “youth users of the ice.”
“We’re forcing people to leave the Coast to continue an experience that we’ve given them, and I really find that difficult… It’s unfortunate when we offer something and we can’t follow through with it and complete the package,” he said.
“I think this is a good compromise at this point,” Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers said, while noting that work will be needed to find suitable alternatives for dry floor users.
One of the issues facing the SCRD is the cost, and the committee also voted to affirm “the current administrative procedure that ice be provided only when variable costs are equal to or less than revenue generated from user group bookings.”
Hall told that committee that there is some flexibility in that policy, to allow for cancellations and similar situations.
The SCRD estimates the cost of adding extra ice days at $7,185 per week, which includes staffing, operating expenses and capital replacement costs.
