Ridgetown arena. December 18, 2017. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent). Ridgetown arena. December 18, 2017. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).
Chatham

UPDATE: Chatham-Kent arena upgrades up for approval

Improvments at arenas across Chatham-Kent will be moving forward.

On April 12, councillors voted unanimously in favour of the $888,950 arena lifecycle projects for 2021. 

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Some updates could be coming to arenas across Chatham-Kent.

On Monday night, council will receive a staff report that recommends $888,950 worth of upgrades at multiple arena facilities across the municipality.

According to the report, each of Chatham-Kent's 10 arenas is underfunded and requires an additional estimated $100,417 to meet lifecycle needs.

The arenas in Chatham-Kent range in age, however, all of them are several decades old. The municipality's oldest arena is Wallaceburg Memorial, which was built in 1948. Chatham Memorial Arena was constructed a year later.

Tilbury Arena, which went up in 1992 and is the municipality's newest arena, is up for the most renovations. A report from municipal staff is recommending painting the lobby and washroom, replacing the heater in the dressing room, replacing the arena ice surface glass, replacing some of the exit doors, and repairing the fire suppression system.

Several upgrades are also being recommended for Dresden Arena including new LED sign installation, painting the building's exterior, installing a new energy-efficient HVAC unit, and replacing the ducts.

If the repairs are approved, they will be funded through the Arena Capital Asset Lifecycle Reserve and there would be $462,041 remaining in the reserve.

The balance remaining in the Arena Capital Asset Lifecycle Reserve at the end of 2021 will remain in the lifecycle budget for future projects.

You can find a full list of the proposed work that is up for approval by clicking here.

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