Battleford greenlights $3.4M arena expansion, targets 2027-28 completion

“I think the engineers and administration listened to the feedback from the community and the user groups,” he said following the the Oct. 20 council meeting where the report was presented.

“Everything I saw tonight, I made note of the changes they made were the same things that the user groups and the people of our community brought forward as things that they wanted to see differently at the arena.”

Associated Engineering, the contracted firm, found in its report that 94 per cent of survey respondents supported the project, with residents most concerned about limited dressing and referee rooms, a lack of washrooms, congestion, and accessibility barriers.

The redesign addresses those issues across all sides of the building.

On the south side, plans call for a new vestibule and canopy to improve entry flow and reduce snow buildup, an expanded lobby with new glazing for better visibility, and a universally-accessible washroom.

A dehumidification unit above the lobby will enhance ice quality, and a portable wheelchair viewing platform will be added.

The west side will include four new dressing rooms with shared showers and an accessible washroom, along with expanded mechanical and refrigeration rooms.

A new player-only corridor will allow teams to reach the ice directly through the benches, and new 1.8-metre-high glass will separate players from spectators.

On the north side, upgrades include a referee room with showers, two additional washrooms, new storage and janitorial areas, and a centralized lighting-control panel.

Associated Engineering estimated the base construction cost at $2,546,700, plus a 20 per cent contingency ($509,300) and $327,200 in engineering fees, bringing the total to about $3,383,200 before GST.

Leslie said the figure is one council “has stomached,” and the investment is long overdue.

“If we want to keep hockey viable in our community for years to come, I think this is a great step.”

Prior to the latest design updates, the last major renovation in 2000 included a new concrete slab, dasher boards, modifications to the bleachers and a 4,000-square-foot expansion to accommodate a Zamboni room, club room, mechanical room and storage space.

About seven years ago, the town installed a new ice plant, but there hasn’t been any follow-up work since.

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