The modernization and addition to the 60-year-old Red Deer Curling Centre started to take shape with the pouring of 26,000 square feet of concrete on Tuesday.
Renovations on the $8.8-million project, which will add four new ice rinks to the building at 4725 43rd Street, officially began on Feb. 6 — while the popular Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s national curling championships was being played at the Centrium.
Project manager Rich Roberts said that numerous loads of concrete were trucked in at 7 a.m. on Tuesday to give the centre the ability to have 12 curling sheets.
“It is a big day here,” he said.
After the crews have finished pouring the concrete, it will be flattened and levelled. It takes approximately 28 days before the concrete is cured enough to install the lights, Roberts said.
Overall, the upgrades on the centre are only a week behind schedule.
Curling Centre interim manager Wade Thurber said their intent is have curlers on the newly-minted ice in the latter part of October.
The facility, once completed, will be state-of-the-art with a proper dehumidification system, insulation, an efficient ice plant and new water filtration system. As the ice-maker at the curling centre, Thurber is especially excited for the adjustments.
“We’ve done our homework as far as what it takes to make the best ice we possibly can,” he said.
“The old rink had its challenges. It wouldn’t really matter how good of ice-maker you were, so this is a real treat to be able to work in a facility that will have all the bells and whistles.”
Earlier in the year, the project was estimated at $7.4 million. But before long that price tag increased by $1.4 million. Roberts says a couple unforeseen issues are to blame, such as $130,000 price difference in steel, the addition of a sprinkler system, which was another $75,000, and upgrades to a wall that was structurally unsound.
“Just the kinds of things you come across when doing upgrades to a building of this age,” he said.
The City of Red Deer invested $6.175 million and was the main provider of the project.
Thurber is not worried as the centre is only $400,000 short of breaking even.
“Worse case scenario, we may have to get a mortgage for awhile, but so be it, that makes the club healthy and strong,” he said.
“It is a little more than we wanted but we will be close.”
Thurber said the centre has looked to sponsors to advertise on the ice sheets, lounge, kitchen and several rock handles. The club also received $750,000 from a provincial grant, the Community Facility Enhancement Program.
During the off-season, the centre will host weddings, receptions and meetings in its upgraded multi-use facility, Thurber said.
Curling league registration is just around the corner, starting on Sept. 10 from 5 to 8 p.m.
The project will get the final touches next year when landscaping and other minor upgrades will be added.
jjones@www.reddeeradvocate.com