The Pat Duke Arena change room renovation and expansion project is on budget and ready to move into the detailed design phase, with the construction start date of spring 2020 still on schedule.
Despite recent challenges encountered due to the age of the building, detailed designs are now ready to be drafted and will include the addition of four new change rooms, plus the renovation of two existing change rooms, storage and an upgraded entryway. These improvements will allow for the required space to accommodate co-ed tournaments, and improve the functionality and accessibility of the facility.
In order to ensure that the arena will continue to service the community well into the future, the White Valley Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee has approved $500,000 from its reserve fund to reinforce the existing arch frame structure of the building, which will be done at the same time as the new construction and renovation for cost savings.
“The RDNO is looking forward to revitalizing this arena for the community and we are invested in the success of this project” said Tannis Nelson, Manager of Community Services. “We are moving it along as quickly as possible, but want to make sure that we get it right.”
It is expected that the project will be issued for tender on the first week of February, 2020.
Background
The Pat Duke Memorial Arena provides ice time for a variety of users, including minor hockey, figure skating, ringette and leisure ice uses, and has been serving the community since 1967.
Unfortunately, due to its age, the needs of all of the facility users are not being met. Due to an insufficient number of change rooms, female ice users have had to use inadequate facilities during co-ed play. The arena also poses challenges for users with mobility issues and does not meet today’s standards for accessibility.
As part of a community effort that began in 2016, residents and users came together and initiated fundraising to improve amenities in the arena. As a result of these efforts, Lumby won Kraft Hockeyville 2016, receiving $100,000 to put towards improving the facility.
Leveraging the community momentum that was generated through the successful Kraft Hockeyville win, in March 2018 the Village of Lumby and the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) were awarded an additional $2,595,625 million dollars to make improvements to the Pat Duke Arena in Lumby, B.C. Additional funding for the project included a grant from TELUS, and community fundraising totalling $75,000, and $230,000 provided by the RDNO through the White Valley Parks, Recreation and Culture service
The $3 M project is focused on adding four new change rooms and renovating the existing change rooms, but will also include upgrades to make the facility more operationally effective, safe, and energy-efficient.
The funding for this project has enabled a significant renovation and expansion to this cherished community arena, allowing it to continue to serve the North Okanagan well into the future.