Arena work to start in spring

By Kate Bouey - CASTANET Oct 13, 2016 / 5:00 am

Good things come to those who wait, according to the old saying. In Vernon, construction work on a new arena beside Kal Tire Place won't start until at least March of next year, according to Doug Ross, director of recreation services. "Everything is on or ahead of schedule," Ross said. According to the City of Vernon's website, design work was expected to take nine to 12 months followed by 24 months of construction to complete the $14 million project. “The new facility at Kal Tire Place could potentially open in the fall of 2018,” the website states. Meanwhile, user groups at the aging Civic arena hope the new ice sheet is ready sooner rather than later. “I've been getting lots of people asking me. I thought construction would start this fall,” said Cameron Grant, head of an advocacy group that lobbied the public to vote in favour of borrowing funds to build the facility. The project is expected to go out to tender in January, Ross said.

Parking Fees Set For Civic Arena Lot

Posted on 8/15/2016 7:54 PM by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM

It won't be free to park in the Civic Arena lot much longer. Council has approved spending up to ten thousand dollars to get the site ready for paid parking, starting September 1st. Mayor Akbal Mund says it's been discussed for some time.
"That was before even I came on council. I know that was discussed. That parking lot is full and a lot of people park there." Mund says that lot doesn't have the turnover like the Rec Centre does. "It would be in the best interest to charge for parking there, because it's become all day parking for everybody, and there is no real turnover there." It will cost 50 cents an hour, 3 dollars a day, or $43 a month, to park there. It will still be free after 3:30 pm on weekdays, along with on weekends and for event days.

Ice days numbered at Vernon Civic Arena

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: May 19, 2013 1:00 AMTTime is running out on the clock for Vernon’s Civic Arena. City council has instructed staff topursue plans to decommission the 75-year-old ice sheet by either twinning Wesbild Centre or Priest Valley Arena. “Civic is going to fail and needs replacement so it’s thoughtful and logical for us to consider how to do that,” said Mayor Rob Sawatzky. The earliest there could be a new facility, given a referendum and construction, is 2016. State-of-the-art in 1938, Civic Arena’s best days are long behind it. “The facility does not have sufficient snow loading capability in the roof,” said Doug Ross, the city’s recreation services manager. “The (engineer’s) report also noted ongoing issues with the heaving of the concrete slab and the increase in vertical cracks in the exterior walls.” Because the slab has heaved at least six inches in some places, there is also the potential for the brine cooling pipes to break. While a core services review by KPMG didn’t recommend replacing Civic, Ross doesn’t  believe that is feasible given that Civic has 1,600 hours of ice use during the winter and existing Vernon arenas could only handle 60 per cent of that through dramatic rescheduling (teams playing hockey at 2 a.m.). “Armstrong and Lumby do not have the ability to accommodate those people (the remaining 40 per cent),” he said. The goal would be to construct a new 400-seat facility. Ideally, it would be at Wesbild Centre, but because of an ongoing legal dispute at Kin Race Track, land may not be available. The Regional District of North Okanagan has budgeted for a study to determine if Priest Valley Arena can be twinned. Depending on the site, a new arena could cost between $5 and $10 million. “Using the current revenue generated by Civic Arena and estimated operational costs for a new energy efficient facility attached to an existing arena, the facility could operate at break even and essentially eliminate the existing $160,000 deficit to operate Civic,” said Ross. “Additionally, the facility would become more attractive for the hosting of tournaments and large dry floor events.” Sawatzky says the city is working with Coldstream and the electoral areas on arena needs. “They share in the usage, the planning and the costs,” he said.