2 years after fire, Tyne Valley opens new arena

Smiling faces on the kids and a parking lot full of cars — it's good to have a rink back in the community again, says the president of the board of the Cavendish Farms Community Events Centre in Tyne Valley, P.E.I.

"Still, when I pull in, it gives you chills. You can't believe that you're in our community. It's an ice surface that you just never thought we'd be able to have," said Kyle Maynard.

On Dec. 29, 2019 Tyne Valley lost the ice surface Maynard grew up on. A fire left the old rink nothing but a smoking shell. The new arena opened a week ago.

The planning started the day after the fire, and the community had no idea what it was in for, said Maynard. There had been plans for renovations, but no one had any idea at that time where to start when it came to building a rink from scratch.

There was insurance money, but that wasn't enough. Then came government funding, but a huge fundraising effort was required from the tiny community, with its population of a little more than 250.

It's not quite done yet, but the final cost will come in somewhere around $10 million.

It is a much-improved facility, with a larger, NHL-size ice surface, a fitness room, a community room and six dressing rooms.

"It's been a long road to get here," said Maynard.

"It's pretty nice to have it all finished."

Maynard said the support of other communities, taking Tyne Valley kids into their arenas over the last two years, has been great, but there is nothing like home ice.