Last fall the staff at the Eckville Arena got a surprise when they opened the mechanical room which houses the ice plant, and noticed the ceiling sagging a few feet.

Engineers braced the roof in the meantime so it can remain open, but it was determined the roof may collapse and must be replaced.

Chairman of the Eckville Arena Operating Association Terry Engen says they have been anticipating replacing the ice plant for some time now, and now that time line has been accelerated.

“We always anticipated that we were going to have to rebuild that particular area when the inevitable part of us having to put in a new ice plant came, we just didn’t think it would be this quick. So now we have to repair it anyhow, and so with the first stage of actually doing the job and knowing full well that when the ice plant is ready to be replaced and gives up the ghost, that we’re ready to put a new one in.”

Engen says they are seeking funding from Lacombe County, the Town of Eckville, and the government of Alberta to help pay for the repairs, and keeping the $250 thousand they already raised for the new ice plant in reserve. Either way, help will have to come for both projects.

“The decision was made to leave that money sitting off to the side that we have built up for that ice plant, knowing full well that we’re going to have to have some participation from both municipalities and the government no matter what we do.”

Engen says in small Canadian communities such as Eckville, the arena is a central hub, not just for the town but for the surrounding communities as well, and it would be devastating if it had be closed for an extended period of time.