A city staff report recommends city council approve $3.5 million to repair the ice pad at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, effectively forcing the Peterborough Lakers senior lacrosse team to find an alternative home venue next season.
On Monday city council will review the staff report, which recommends increasing the budget for the ice pad repairs to $3.5 million from $1 million. If approved, the repairs will be done by Carvajal Structural Engineers (CSE) for work that includes replacing the suspended ice slab and brine system, rebuilding a foundation wall and installing an OHL-approved dasher board system. The repairs would take 20 to 22 weeks.
The report estimates the CSE repairs would allow the arena to operate “effectively and efficiently” for another 10 to 25 years without concerns for major repairs to the main ice rink elements.
In September, city council deferred the recommendation for repairs and sought an additional opinion for the future of the ice pad. That led to a report from Entuitive Corp., (EC) which provided repairs estimated at $1 million.
However, staff state the company’s alternative methodology would have “significant risks” of further costs, such as if the brine header or feeder pipes broke, a re-connection cannot be made and the entire floor would have to be replaced.
With either option, the repairs will mean the Peterborough Lakers Major Series Lacrosse team will lose its 2019 season at the Memorial Centre.
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The report recommends the city compensate the Lakers for the value of the ticket sales based on an average MSL season at the arena during the last three years, less ticket sales at an alternative venue in 2019.
CSE repairs also mean the OHL’s Peterborough Petes will have to play road games until Nov. 2, 2019. EC’s repairs would force the Petes to hold training camp at another facility until Sept. 7, 2019, and could potentially cost the Petes the 2019/2020 season.
EC’s recommended course of action “provides the minimum amount of work, shortest construction timelines, is the least costly alternative and is least the impactful to the Petes,” the report states.
“However, it also is the highest risk alternative. All construction activities involve risk but, for the most part, these risks can be mitigated and accounted for in the preparation of tender documents and construction specifications.
The city says plans to replace the Memorial Centre could still take up to a decade to complete and therefore the CSE repairs is the best long-term option.
“This means the Peterborough Memorial Centre must remain as the major sports and event arena for at least another 10 years, or well beyond the life of the existing rink slab and brine system,” the report states.
“Based on all the above considerations, it is the opinion of staff that the risk of a future failure, or a failure during construction, of the brine system and/or rink slab is too high and, accordingly, the best alternative is to undertake the necessary repairs to the Peterborough Memorial Centre as was described in the report presented to council on September 10, 2018.”
If approved, the project will be tendered in December and repairs would begin on June 3, 2019, aiming for a Nov. 1 completion date.