The public ice rink at Charles Clark Square in Windsor has big problems, and Windsor City Council has to decide what to do about it at their meeting on Monday afternoon.
The administration has asked councillors to approve $300,000 to hire a consultant to design a new outdoor rink at City Hall. The money would come from the City Hall Square and Civic Esplanade Project.
Building the new rink with fewer amenities than the one at Charles Clark Square could cost another $4-million. However, a report to councillors warns the one at Charles Clark Square "can no longer operate in its current state, and the previous methods for repair may not be sufficient to address leaks and permit the rink to safely operate."
Councillors need to decide if it's time to decommission the rink at Charles Clark Square and build a new one or go ahead with repairs.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to say how much those repairs will cost.
After a brine leak was discovered at the rink last winter, the city brought in CIMCO Refrigeration, a company specializing in ice rinks, to repair the leak. Testing with Freon found five others, but there are more undetected, except by pressure testing. Unless those are found the rink can not open for the 2022-2023 season.
Workers install synthetic ice at Charles Clark Square in Windsor. Feb. 3, 2014
This year's repairs have already cost the City of Windsor $15,000.
Over the past decade, the city has spent $150,000 to install a perimeter board system, $90,000 to fix the chiller and leaks in the perimeter piping, $21,000 to upgrade the washrooms, plumbing, and heating, and another $32,000 on preventative maintenance.
Before the 2013 season, the city spent $56,000 to install synthetic ice to save money. That project was unsuccessful, so it was changed back to the traditional refrigerated pad.