On Wednesday afternoon a social media post by the Town of Fort Frances notified the community that the older of the town’s two ice rinks would not be able to produce ice for at least another month, if not longer.
“Today we’ve been made aware that equipment in the 52s rink has malfunctioned.
Repair parts are already being ordered,” the release said. “However, we are now without means to operate the secondary rink with early estimates that it could be between four to eight weeks before parts arrive and are installed.”
Ice going in at the rink had already been delayed due to a part needing replacement, which was discovered upon shut down in the spring. The Ice for Kids Arena is up and running but the town’s many hockey and skating programs typically require two ice pads to run smoothly.
“The Town of Fort Frances prides itself on having two arenas and this development
is a significant setback,” the release said. “We know this is going to greatly impact ice users from our hockey teams, skate programs, figure skaters, and public skaters. This has become a priority for us as it greatly affects so many, and we’ll do everything we can to get back to regular operations as soon as reasonably possible. The Memorial Sports Centre will be calling affected users and will schedule as necessary. We will also utilize the Ice for Kids rink as availability allows.”
In a Facebook post, Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association (FFMHA) president Patrick Briere says they are working with the Town to work out a solution.
“FFMHA has been actively monitoring this situation over the past few months and wants to reassure everyone that we are continuing to engage with the Town of Fort Frances,” Briere wrote. “We are committed to finding a resolution to this unfortunate situation. As more information becomes available we will provide further updates.”
Similarly, the Fort Frances Girls and Women’s hockey association, which regularly uses the Duke Arena on Couchiching First Nation for some of its ice time, posted asking for patience.
“We have been informed that the ice at the Duke is ready to go for Thursday night’s practices and we are excited to see all the new and returning skaters!” Their post said. “You may have seen the post that 52 arena ice is broken down, please be patient as we work with the town. An updated schedule will be posted as soon as we can.”
The Town of Fort Frances asked that anyone with comments or concerns use the correct avenues to do so.
“We do respect and invite comments and concerns regarding this and have an
avenue for citizens to do so, ensuring these are directed to Senior Management.
Please read about Customer Complaints and complete them online here:
www.fortfrances.ca/customer-complaints. If you have any questions regarding ice programming, please don’t hesitate to contact the Memorial Sports Centre at (807) 274-4561.”
