CAP Committee chairman Ron Boisvert was all smiles as the 31,000-lb plant was maneuvered into place on its cement footing on the east side of the arena. The arrival of the plant is an upgrade to the 37-year-old facility and will put the arena in a good position for the next 20 years.
“Our existing plant was passed its expiry date by three years and we were scared of the ammonia we had in the old system,” Boisvert said, citing an incident that occurred in Fernie, B.C. in the fall of 2017 when an ammonia leak from the chiller resulted in the death of three men.
“We tried to mitigate as much risk as possible, so that’s why we ordered a new plant,” Boisvert said, adding there was also concern the plant could break down in the middle of the hockey season which would finish the year.
“These things take a long time. We ordered this in January, so it takes at least six months to get this plant together.”
The estimated $760,000 price tag has been covered through a number of avenues. The Town of St. Paul and County of St. Paul each donated $50,000 toward the plant. St. Paul Minor Hockey stepped up with $105,000 and the CAP Committee also kicked in $105,000. The group was able to secure a Community Facility Enhancement grant for $320,000.
With an estimated shortfall of roughly $120,000, Boisvert said the group is anticipating the final bill will come in less than expected but they won’t know that until they start up the plant in mid October and receive the final bill from the manufacturer, Cimco. The Town of St. Paul has previously agreed to a debenture on CAP’s behalf to carry the final outstanding amount if necessary, Boisvert said. However, it may not be required depending on the final tally and what CAP has available on its own.
The CAP Arena was built in 1983. It was the second ice arena in the community and was built to address the lack of available ice time. A group of residents banded together to raise the $511,000 price tag for the facility, going so far as to put their homes up as collateral to secure a $130,000 loan.
The arena continues to play a vital role in the community with about a 90 per cent occupancy through the winter months.
