THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Another city infrastructure failure, this time at the Deaney Arena.
500 Donald Street East advises, “Delaney Arena is closed effective immediately after staff noticed a significant drop in the amount of brine in the refrigeration system yesterday. Brine is the fluid that runs in the piping below the rink surface that keeps the ice frozen”.
“Staff topped off the brine level yesterday, however levels continued to drop,” said Franco Marchese, Manager of Facilities Services. “Last night the system was fully pressurized and again the levels have dropped by the morning.”
Staff and the refrigeration contractor will be isolating brine lines to determine where the leak is. Once the leak is found, repairs will be made.
He added that until the magnitude of the situation is fully understood, a definitive re-opening date could not be given. At that time, an additional update on the impact to user groups and plans to mitigate can be provided.
“We know that this is frustrating for people who had ice times cancelled or relocated,” said Norm Gale, City Manager. “City staff moved quickly into action to determine the problem, and we are working hard so that this can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
The Westfort Hockey tournament games scheduled for this weekend at Delaney Arena have been relocated to Neebing Arena. Relocation has occurred for as many other rentals as possible until November 20, limited by ice availability at other City facilities. Ice use contract holders have also been contacted directly regarding the relocation or cancellation of affected bookings.