Three Hills, Alta.- A partial roof collapse at an arena in southern Alberta means this winter’s hockey season has been cut short for the Town of Three Hills.
The Three Hills Centennial Place Arena was “It was 10 minutes, literally, before the next group was going on the ice,” says Pauline Platt, a resident of Three Hills. “We were able to get everyone out of the building before anyone went to the ice.”
Scaffolding has now been put up to prevent the roof from coming down. The roof is sagging and its steel beams have bent significantly.
“It’s a very serious situation,” says Tim Shearlaw, Mayor of Three Hills. “The danger was unknown at the time. They took the right steps, made sure everyone was safe, and the building was locked up.”
Shearlaw say the arena was built in the 1990s and age is not a factor in the partial collapse. He says excessive snow, ice, and melt water is behind the damage.
Crews are currently working to secure the roof before drilling holes in it to drain water from the melting snow and ice.
The Three Hills arena is just the latest Alberta arena to suffer damage because of heavy snowfall this winter. Similar scenes have played out in Sylvan Lake, Drayton Valley, and Whitecourt.
Repairs at the Three Hills rink aren’t expected to be completed until August. In the meantime, the town’s figure skating, hockey, and lacrosse programs will be moved to nearby Trochu.
The town says repairs will be covered by insurance and should cost about $500,000. The town will need to cover an additional $50,000.
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