Municipal staff in Richmond County are compiling information about the condition of the Richmond Arena and will report back to council in
September.
At last night’s special meeting in Arichat, Richmond Municipal Council discussed a report on the state of the arena which was done in 2018 by
Campbell Comeau Engineering Ltd.
Last winter, Warden Lois Landry said council decided put money in reserve funds for the repair of the arena floor and ice-making
equipment.
Landry told council that the report and subsequent assessments of the facility determined it is in great shape overall, which is thanks to
the great work done by employees and volunteers over the years. In the report, the warden said there are a series of recommendations
including reduced structural capacity to hold heavy snow loads on the roof. If the snow load reaches 24 pounds per square foot, the report
recommends it be closed to the public, which Landry said is a cause for concern.
CAO Troy MacCulloch said staff wants clarification on that part of the report claiming that the load threshold poses a risk to public safety,
calling it “inflammatory.” He said staff is working on providing information for council to review at the committee-of-the-whole session in September..
The report also raises a number of questions about how to properly monitor the amount of snow on the roof, Landry said.
With these issues brought up, District 4 Councillor Amanda Mombourquette said council must act to mitigate any risk, but waiting to get this information in September could cause a delay in some of the work needed to be complete before the arena doors open.
Deputy Warden Brent Sampson said tie-downs can be placed temporarily on the roof to alleviate any strain, and he suggested staff contact any companies that could do that work now.
District 1 Councillor Shawn Samson said it’s hard to ignore the safety of occupants, and he agreed with Mombourquette’s concerns over a tight time frame to get work completed before the arena opens in the fall. Snow load monitors can be installed, District 3 Councillor Brian Marchand noted, expressing skepticism that the weight of snow will be
heavy in November and December, which will buy the municipality some time.He said if there is too much snow for the roof, then it should be
closed to the public until it is cleared.
The CAO added that metal work is taking place in the arena this summer.