Ground Breaking For New Arena

Work has officially started on the second arena at Kal Tire Tire Place.

The 400 seat, 13 million dollar facility, which is being added at the north end of the site, which is currently parking, was approved in a Greater Vernon referendum in November 2015.

Local politicians and officials from VVI Construction from Kelowna and Kal Tire, were on hand for a ground breaking ceremony Monday.

Photo: Local politicians take part in ground breaking ceremony for new arena at Kal Tire Place: Left to right on bottom: Scott Anderson, Mike Macnabb, Dalvir Nahal, Bob Fleming, Juliette Cunningham, Brian Quiring and Kal Tire President Rob Foord. On top: Catherine Lord and Akbal Mund.

Vernon’s Recreation Services Director Doug Ross says the first step is excavation, removing the blacktop, and then digging down.

“We’ll see what’s underneath here. We did do test holes originally and didn’t see anything that would give us cause for concern, but until the holes are actually dug, we won’t know for sure,” Ross told Kiss FM and other media.

Ross says the construction will take 62 weeks, which is about 16 months.

“That would get us finishing the project sometime in the late summer (2018) , with the building to open in the early fall, and everything is on time now,” adds Ross.

Ross says vehicle traffic will be restricted to the east side entrance during the construction.

“What were asking the public is to use the entrance on the east side of the building, the traffic lights and the east lane. And we’re going to be closing the west lane off (next to Kin Race Park). That’s going to be used just for construction traffic.”

The Vernon Farmers Market is still be held on the back parking lot site, but a bit farther north.

“That was their choice. They wanted to stay in the location. We’ve been working with them very closely,” says Ross.