A previously identified repair to the coolant plant in the ‘52 Canadians rink has ultimately led to a delay in the ice making for the ‘24-25 season, and has left user groups to fill their schedules using other venues and resources.
Travis Rob, Manager of Operations and Facilities for the Town of Fort Frances, says a new compressor which was acquired and installed over the last few weeks wasn’t compatible with the aging ice plant’s control panel.
“The new unit came in at the end of August, we’ve been working on installing it, bringing all of the piping, the emergency lockout features, the valving, everything, and we started to run into some wiring problems,” Rob said. “So we were working through that, trying to get the kinks out of it with the plan on Tuesday of (last) week to start commissioning the plant. Which was later than anticipated because we were running into these other headaches. Going through commissioning, our electrical problems continued to plague us and unfortunately we came to the conclusion that we really had two options moving forward. One of them was to replace the control panel that runs both compressors, the brine system, the chiller, the condenser, all of the components, the brains of the operation.”
The other option was to install a transformer which would regulate the power feeding the compressors.
The control panel which needed replacing was due to be replaced in near future perhaps as soon as the next budget which is currently in development.
“This is where we’re at, the controller, the equipment that it has within it and talks to, is all very much out of date, and it was in our capital plan to replace potentially next year pending budget approval,” he said. “So when looking at the two options, you know, that was the option that really stood out for us. Time wise, it wasn’t any longer than a transformer, but we weren’t going to spend a bunch of money on a transformer to then get rid of the transformer when we did change out the control equipment anyway. So we made the call to proceed with the control equipment. We are working right now with Cimco, our electrical contractor, to try and get as much equipment and work done in advance of the new panel arriving.”
The timeline is a bit longer because the component will be custom made for the ice plant, right down to the case that holds it all.
“The control cabinet, right down to the box that all of this stuff goes into is made to order,” Rob said. “So there needs to be engineering that happens on it, and then they need to fabricate it. We need new motors. We need the cabinets. We need to wire it all together. You know, at this moment in time, we’re kind of estimating what the timeline is going to be, because I don’t yet have a confirmation from Cimco that the creation of this cabinet is within that one month period, this is just like a kind of discussion around like, ‘yeah, we probably can get it for you in a month.’ I don’t know what else they have going on, right?”
Rob says a report will be brought to Fort Frances Town Council at the next meeting proposing the funding for the required new components come from reserve funds.
In the meantime, user groups are working with Memorial Sports Centre staff to work on scheduling ice sessions they require.
According to scheduling on Facebook, the Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association (FFMHA) has had to spread beyond the borders of Fort Frances to get all players the ice time they’re expecting for the early part of the season. FFMHA has some practices taking place at the Emo-LaVallee Community Centre and the Duke Arena on Couchiching First Nation.
The Borderland Skating Club also has more than half of their ice time on the ’52 Canadians rink, according to president Kayla Pattison. They have had to branch out to the other rinks, including the Duke and Emo as well.
The Fort Frances Girls and Women’s Hockey Association also typically uses a significant amount of ice time at the ‘52 Canadians rink as well. In an emailed statement, the Association’s president Aimee Matheson says they’re working to get through the challenge.
“We certainly didn’t expect to be in this situation with ‘52 rink out of commission at the start of the season, but we’re adapting,” Matheson said. “Our house league program has moved into time slots typically reserved for our competitive teams, which means our competitive teams are getting a chance to practice at some early morning ice times. Our teams are also sharing ice times, which has already been a scheduling challenge this year because we have had record registration numbers in our program and we are bursting at the seams to begin with.”
Matheson says the community seems to be working well together given the circumstances so that everyone can get the ice time they want for their programs.
“We’re fortunate to have four rinks in our district, and while they’re often fully booked, everyone is stepping up and working together to maximize the available ice time. I’m optimistic that the town is trying to resolve this issue quickly and efficiently.”
