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Leaky Lacombe curling rink roof to be replaced

A 2015 hailstorm is believed to be the reason for the Lacombe Curling Rink’s leaky roof.
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From left, Joey Ingram and Jason Siebenga had a laugh while they swept a rock during the Lacombe Farmers and Farmerettes Bonspiel at the Lacombe Curling Club last week. (Black Press file photo)

A 2015 hailstorm is believed to be the reason for the Lacombe Curling Rink’s leaky roof.

Now the city may be on the hook to pay $350,000 to replace it.

Mandy Peakman, president of the curling rink board, said the hailstorm damage didn’t really show up in any significant way until this winter.

“It wasn’t until this winter that we had some issues with it,” said Peakman. “This winter we had quite a bit of snow on the roof and then there was some warm weather on two or three occasions and it melted and we has some leaking onto the ice surface.

“We had to go through some ice maintenance to get the ice back into play.”

Because the roof was damaged in 2015 and the leaks didn’t show up until this past winter, the city can’t file an insurance claim to fix the roof.

Silicone patches were applied to the roof when the leaks started to appear in October 2017, and in February of this year.

According to the city, which owns the building, significant leaking has occurred over the ice sheet area. In March, the city hired a roofing company to help clear the snow, and add spirals to prevent further leaking to stem the leak, and save a bonspiel that was underway. That short-term fix cost the city $5,000.

At Lacombe’s city council meeting on Monday, council approved a request for city administration to allocate $350,000 to replace the roof, and to ask administration to look into funding alternatives. This could include asking Lacombe County for some money.

A request for proposals will be issued by the city.

The curling rink’s roof was last replaced in 2004 with an expected lifespan of 25-years. The project was not part of the city’s 10-year capital plan.

The rink has been drained for the season. According to the curling association’s spring newsletter, there will be a few renovations to the club during the offseason including improved insulation, carpet replacement and new paint.



mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com

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