Kal Tire Place’s A/C to be repaired, work ongoing to purchase new scoreboard

Apr 9, 2024 | 6:00 AM

Vernon is investing in upgrades to Kal Tire Place.

At the regular meeting Monday, Apr. 8, Vernon city council received a request for funding to repair the air-cooled liquid chiller.

The report stated the chiller, which was purchased and installed in the arena in 2001, was inspected and found to be in need of repairs.

Staff requested council authorize funding up to $60,000 from the Recreation Services Major Maintenance Reserve to repair the system.

Of that total, roughly $21,425 would cover the repairs before tax, with the report stating another $35,000 was needed to replace non-repairable components in the chiller.

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Council voted unanimously in favour of allocating the funding without discussion at Monday’s meeting.

Speaking with Vernon Matters, Mayor Victor Cumming stated the repairs should be done before the hot weather hits, as the arena is used for multiple purposes during the summer months including as an Emergency Support Services Reception Centre and as a space to hold events and expos.

“Kal Tire Place, as some people may know, is over 20 years old, so some of these things need to be upgraded and replaced, and [this is] one of them,” the mayor said.

“We’ve all got acustom to it getting used in the summer, particularly if there’s a fire but also for events, and we want to get a little bit ahead and replace it before we have a breakdown on a very hot day in August.”

Also at Monday’s meeting, council discussed the procurement of a new scoreboard for Kal Tire Place.

A staff report requested council consider providing up to $300,000 in funding towards the purchase and installation of a new digital scoreboard at the ice rink.

The Vernon Vipers use the arena and, as per league mandated upgrades to the BC Hockey League (BCHL) Standards Infrastructure – Arena set to come online in the coming years, the facility is in need of a new scoreboard that has video display to support instant replay.

The report to council stated the scoreboard would not only meet BCHL requirements, but could also be used by other user groups, during special events, and for Recreation Services programming.

Council received the request to include $300,000 for the new scoreboard in the 2025 budget, at which point Mayor Cumming requested it be made clear who else would be able to use the scoreboard and how they would get access to the equipment.

Councillor Brian Guy stated the Vipers would be the primary beneficiaries of the new scoreboard, and asked if the team would be contributing to the purchase, to which Jason Blood, Vernon’s Director of Recreation Services, stated negotiations were underway with the BCHL team, though no agreements had been made regarding help to offset the costs as of Monday’s meeting.

Blood noted that the city was still investigating options for scoreboards, adding that ease-of-service, use and maintenance, as well as availability of parts, would be considered during the procurement process.

Council voted unanimously in favour of including the scoreboard in the next budget.

by Liam Verster

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