Charlottetown's long-awaited Simmons Sports Centre expected to open Monday, city says
CBC
Skates may finally get to hit the ice surface Monday at Charlottetown's long-awaited Simmons Sports Centre.
The city said in a news release that work to repair a leak in the arena's ice-making infrastructure is now complete.
The new building will be open to the public at 3 p.m., the release states.
"We know Charlottetown residents have been anxiously awaiting this day and we want them to know their patience has paid off," Coun. Mitchell Tweel, chair of Charlottetown's parks, recreation and leisure committee, is quoted as saying in the release.
The new $33-million sports centre will be open year-round, and features an NHL-sized rink with seating for nearly 600 people, an indoor walking track and an outdoor swimming pool.
The building was expected to open Oct. 14, but the city pushed that back indefinitely to allow contractors to find and repair a leak in the pipes within the arena's concrete ice surface slab.
The new complex replaces the original Simmons Sports Centre, which was built more than 50 years ago. That structure, which sat next to the new facility on North River Road, was demolished earlier this year.
When the old rink was scheduled to be replaced, the current location on North River Road was not the only choice for the new centre. Residents effectively lobbied to have the new building constructed next to the old one.
Naming rights for the centre also became an issue.
When it finally got the go-ahead, construction was delayed a year due to supply chain issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest delay in October led to frustration and schedule disruptions for some sport groups that rely on ice time at Simmons.
The Charlottetown Ringette Association is scheduled to host a major tournament at the new centre in January, while the Charlottetown Minor Hockey Association's teams will have about 60 per cent of their weekly ice time at Simmons once it opens.
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