HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016-01-29_MR_CMP_v3PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
January 29, 2016
Chester Arena to Remain Closed for 2015-16 Season
The Municipality of the District of Chester and the Church Memorial Park regret to announce that
the ice arena at the Eleanor Pew Morris Memorial Arena will remain closed for the 2015-2016
season.
Initially, repairs were anticipated to take approximately one month. It has recently come to the
attention of the officials from Church Memorial Park that repairs are now anticipated to take at
least 10 weeks and re-installing the ice would be an additional delay. The unfortunate effect of
this is the loss of the remainder of the season. In the fall of 2015, officials from the ice arena
became aware of issues with the structural supports of the arena’s roof. At that time, the
executive worked as fast as they could to assess the condition of the roof and have been working
with the engineers and their insurance provider on possible solutions. Thankfully, the problem
was found and actions are being taken to address the issue as quickly as possible before any
negative outcomes. Through all of this, the main priority has been the safety of the users and the
public. On January 5, both Municipal and Church Memorial Park officials agreed that the closure
of the ice arena was in the best interest of public safety.
The Municipality and officials of Church Memorial Park would like to acknowledge the financial
pressures, frustration and inconvenience that this creates for the users of the facility, especially
the Minor Hockey Association. We request the patience and support of the community as we all
work through this situation together. The Municipality and the Board of Church Memorial Park
continue to work with groups to minimize disruption to the users of the ice arena as much as
possible.
These repairs will be done to the standards and building codes that were in place when the
structure was built in 1969. Since the structure was built almost 45 years ago, there have been
many changes in technology and building standards. A second phase of the project will be a multi -
year capital campaign to bring the building up to a current standard. This is a significant endeavor.
We know how important this facility is in our community, and we anticipate that moving forward,
we will have the support of the community and our user groups as we make repairs to the
building. We are in the process of exploring our options with engineering firms right now and will
inform the broader community once we develop a plan to move ahead.
Decisions such as this are not easy ones to make; they are tough decisions made by volunteer
members of our community, in the best interest of the community. Once again, we request the
support and patience of the community as we all work our way through the remainder of this
season. We look forward to reopening the ice arena for the 2016-17 season next fall.
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Media Contact Information:
Paul Burgoyne
Church Memorial Park
Ph: 902-580-2325
Allen Webber, Warden
Municipality of the District of Chester
Ph: 902-275-3554
Tammy Wilson, CAO
Municipality of the District of Chester
Ph: 902-275-3554