Cliff McNabb Arena Upgrade

 $1.9 Million Project Gets Underway

April 27, 2012- The ice at Nanaimo’s Cliff McNabb Arena will come out on April 30 and updates to the 18 year old facility will begin on May 1 with an estimated reopening date set for early August in time for the busy fall arena schedule. The bulk of the work will be focused on improving the building envelope which significantly improves ventilation. There will be a number of cosmetic improvements in the dressing rooms that teams will appreciate, including heat. The total cost of the project is budgeted at $1.9 million with funds coming predominantly from the city’s facility development reserve fund.

Arena staff have been working with the various facility user groups to ensure groups are accommodated elsewhere. There will be an ice sheet in place at Nanaimo Ice Centre for summer ice programs. Both the Senior A and Junior A Timbermen teams will play at Frank Crane Arena and the Junior B and Senior B Timbermen teams will play at the Nanaimo Ice Centre. The minor lacrosse teams and other dry floor teams and organizations will be accommodated between the facilities.

Diana Johnstone, Chair Parks, Recreation and Culture and City Councillor is quoted as saying: " As a department we are committed to continuously improving the life and leisure of our residents and by maintaining our facilities we can achieve this goal. We are all looking forward to seeing the finished project in August."

The scope of the project involves addition of five energy conservation measures which include rink ventilation upgrades; heat recovery systems to preheat hot water, variable frequency drives to the brine pumps, plant control upgrades and replacement of the brine chiller. Excess heat from the ice plant will preheat the hot water for showers and provide heat for a new indoor snow melt pit that will be constructed in a new fire separated zamboni shed addition. Additional energy upgrades will include a new exterior insulated roof system and insulated metal cladding panels which will eliminate air leakage and improve the energy performance of the facility. Upgrades will also include improvements to meet B-52 safety standards for mechanical refrigeration plants. Interior improvements to the dressing rooms will include new hot water tanks, recovery systems for the showers, new energy efficient furnaces to provide heat, and new rubber flooring. Visitors will also notice a fresh coat of paint on the steel structure when the facility reopens

In addition to the closure of the facility itself, the public is being advised that there will be a reduction in available parking in the lot closest to the arena. All of the department’s public schedules are available online at www.nanaimo.ca or by calling 250 756 5200.

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