Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

Update

Reopening of Kal Tire Place on track for March 20, 90% of games successfully moved

Mar 15, 2024 | 10:45 AM

The City of Vernon has reaffirmed its goal of having the ice at Kal Tire Place South ready for use by Wednesday, March 20.

Recreation Services confirmed with Vernon Matters that the chiller had been repaired Thursday, and on Friday, March 15, the city issued a news release saying it will take several days to have the rink ready to open, as the floor needs to be painted and logos need to be set down before the ice can be put in, which requires building up several thin layers over a period of time.

At last update, it was expected that the ice would be ready for skaters by the 20th.

The leak in the chiller system that set off an ammonia alarm Saturday, March 9, affected only Kal Tire Place South, and the North rink was not impacted.

“The ammonia refrigeration system at Kal Tire Place consists of a single ice plant branching off into two separate chillers and brine system, and these components serve each rink separately,” Dustin Pridham, manager of recreation operations, said.

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“The ability to isolate each section prevented the immediate shutdown of the south rink from affecting the Kal Tire Place North ice surface, mitigating impact to our user groups.”

As the rink in the north facility was not affected, and the Priest Valley Arena was still operational, approximately 90 per cent of the user groups, including two Vernon Vipers home games, the U13 Tier 1 Provincial Championship, and other local league playoffs, were able to be moved to the other venues.

“Staff have done a remarkable job in addressing and managing this significant challenge,” Mayor Victor Cumming said in the release.

“Not only were crews able to safely repair the issue to the ice chiller with remarkable speed, staff were also able accommodate a wide range of user groups to have the least amount of impact on the least number of people. This speaks volumes to the hard work, passion and dedication of the Vernon Recreation Services team. On behalf of council and the community, great job.”

The city reminds the public that while the ice at Kal Tire Place South may appear ready early, it won’t be fully set until Wednesday at the earliest, and visitors are reminded to stay off the ice to avoid causing further delays.