Kincardine council has received a cost estimate for refurbishing its ice rinks.
A report from DEI Engineering for the scope of work for the refrigeration components for the ice rinks and pools at the Davidson Centre and Tiverton Sports Centre.
The budget for expanded project scope is now expected to be $765,000.
$440,000 would be funded by the Lifecycle Reserve Fund, after municipal staff had brought forward a replacement cost estimate for the Tiverton refrigeration components, including the brine pump, chiller, and compressors, at a cost of $325,000.
DEI Engineering manger partner Mustafa Morsy says that while the work will be extensive at the Davidson Centre, they will not be replacing everything, but they will focus on the refrigeration unit.
“We will not be replacing everything. We would leave the pad, which still has some life in it,” Morsy explained. “We’re also going to leave the cooling tower, which is an expensive part of the system. So I’d say we’re replacing about 60% of the system.”
He said that the cooling tower, although 11 years old, still has around 4-9 years of service left in it.
The pad, Morsy explained, could last up to 11 more years, despite being 35 years old. It was also explained that the pad would need to be replaced sooner in the event of leaking or settling.
“With the best information that we have now, our estimate is 2029-2034 for [replacement of] the cooling tower, and the cost would be $400,000,” he explained to council. “For the pad replacement, our best estimate [for replacement] is 2042, and the cost would be around $800,000.”
He also mentioned that when the time comes to replace the pad, it would also have components like basher boards and rubber flooring, and that would increase the cost to $1.2 million, based on current costs and inflation rates.
Members of council had asked why the new refrigeration unit would use ammonia as its refrigerant, to which Morsy explained that it was more efficient than other such chemicals. He also said that other refrigerants actually carried a higher impact to the environment.
Council also approved a motion that staff proceed with concept drawings for both the Davidson Centre and the Tiverton Sports Centre to help address accessibility deficiencies.
