The fight for ice in Red Deer is about to get tougher.
The closure of the Kinsmen A rink in Morrisroe will slash ice availability from the typical eight months to five months next season.
On Tuesday, Red Deer city council agreed to fund the much-needed $1.58 million concrete slab (floor) replacement.
The extensive work is expected to get underway any day and could take up to 10 months.
Shelly Gagnon, the city’s Recreation, Parks and Culture Department manager, said the city will do its best to minimize the impacts on user groups.
The spring and summer activities typically held at the rink have already shifted to other city facilities.
Gagnon said the city will do what it can to pick up the hours in other facilities and explore putting ice in sooner at other rinks.
However, user groups like the Red Deer Minor Hockey Association, the Red Deer Skating Club and the Red Deer Ringette Association are concerned about the impacts on practice times, competitions and games in a city already scrambling for ice time.
Red Deer Minor Hockey Association ice scheduler Joanne Mahura said she is unsure what will happen and will wait to see the city’s proposed plans.
“Where there is a will there’s a way,” said Mahura.
“It will probably hit us harder than anybody else because of the number of participants we have compared to other user groups.”
Mahura said there are 73 teams in the association and she has to find practice times for all of the teams each week.
That does not count games or tournaments.
Shirley Armitage, Red Deer Skating Club co-ordinator, said the closure will definitely have an impact on its programs that are mostly run out of both of the Kinsmen Community Arenas.
There are roughly 1,400 members of the club.
“Ice is quite tough to get in Red Deer,” said Armitage. “All the rinks are fully utilized. At any rate, it definitely impacts us.”
Armitage said there will be a trickle-down effect on users at other rinks because of the potential shuffling of schedules at city rinks.
Wendy Glover, vice-president of the Red Deer Ringette Association, said they hope organizations will not be forced to go outside Red Deer for ice or reduce programs.
“It’s a potential impact to our organization,” said Glover.
“We don’t know yet because we do not have our registration yet for next year. It will definitely be an impact because it will force associations to go outside the community of Red Deer.”
The arena’s regular ice season is August to March and it is rented from April to July for dry activities.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com