Submitted by RDCK

The upgrades to the arena floor at the Castlegar and District Community Complex are two months ahead of schedule.

Originally planned to be under repair until October 15, the new completion date for the $1.644 million arena floor project at the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) facility is now August 9.

“The RDCK is very pleased with the progress made by Reward Construction Ltd., with support from RJC Engineering,” said RDCK regional manager Craig Stanley. “With this type of project there are a number of potential issues or hidden hazards that could show up, but fortunately we were able to avoid all of them. This is the best outcome we could expect, which will allow us to have a normal start to the fall season.”

Ice users were informed of the news at an meeting held on June 15. With the completion of the work set for August 9, the ice is expected to be installed by the end of August.

“This is fabulous news, especially for all the ice users,” said Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff, Castlegar and District Recreation Commission chair. “When you start a project of this magnitude you hope that it is completed on time and on budget – so you can imagine the commissioner’s reaction when we were told it would be finished two months ahead of schedule. So, a big thank you to Reward Construction and RDCK staff for completing the project in record time.”

Crews from Reward Construction Ltd. have been able to install the underfloor heating, insulation, cooling lines, rebar and wire mesh in preparation for pouring the concrete well ahead of schedule. The cooling floor concrete pour is scheduled for June 20. There will be a small public access area available at 8 a.m. to view the site during the installation and finishing of the concrete.

Originally installed in 1976, the Castlegar and District Community Complex arena floor outlived its intended life span of 35 – 40 years.

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