Yellowhead board approves arena upgrades
- Details
- Published on Thursday, May 25, 2017
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
Major upgrades are looming for the Yellowhead Arena. On Monday, May 22, the board of directors for the Yellowhead Centre (YHC) in Neepawa unanimously passed a pair of motions; one for the installation of new arena boards and the second for a new scoreboard clock. The exact cost of the improvements has yet not been released to the public, due to various options available on this work that may affect the pricing.
YHC board president Darian Major said the reason for moving forward on these upgrades had to do with the ongoing costs associated with maintaining and repairing the existing boards and clock.
“The current arena boards had required significant repairs every year. Those repairs recently became more costly as their condition slowly deteriorated, which has helped to facilitate this action,” noted Major.
These improvements are something the YHC has been exploring for quite some time, as a committee was appointed to oversee a detailed review of the current arena boards and options for new ones. They had phone calls with and viewed many other arenas throughout Manitoba to gather new information. In addition, they had several companies with backgrounds in arena maintenance and renovation brought in to look at the current boards and evaluate the need. All those companies cited serious concerns over safety with the existing boards and their condition. Major said this information helped in the decision making process, stressing that it was very important for the board of directors to ensure they provide a facility that is safe for all user groups.
“The arena boards will be the new style of flexible board system that provides some give when a player hits them. This improves the safety for all players, especially those who are playing contact hockey. This style of boards have been mandated for both the National and American Hockey Leagues and it is expected that junior ‘A’ teams will also require this system of arena boards in the very near future for player safety. Major also stated that while they will have new boards, the arena will still be able to use the existing six foot glass and mesh netting. Those items are both still in good condition and their continued use will reduce the costsAlso, Major added that one interesting feature of these new boards is that they can be removed, so this could expand the opportunity for future events for the Yellowhead Centre, adding potential revenue streams.
The upgrades to the boards are expected to be paid for through a combination of sources. The majority of cost will be looked after through the use of reserve funds, which have been accumulating for several years. As well, the cost of advertising along the boards will see an increase. Several government grant opportunities are available and could be pursued.
The new score clock, meanwhile, will hang down from the rafters at centre ice, with game information able to be viewed from all four sides. The time clock will not hang much lower than the old existing speaker system, which is currently situated in that spot. Those speakers will be removed to accommodate the new scoreboard.
Major noted that the decision for a centre ice system was driven be a few factors. First, was the fact that the current clock was beginning to have ongoing breakdown issues. Because repairs were becoming more frequent, and locating the necessary replacement parts more difficult, the YHC board felt that it was time for a replacement. Two alternatives were looked at; a single panel wall clock, which would hang at one end of the arena or a four panel centre ice option. The board unanimously approved the centre ice option, subject to obtaining sufficient sponsors who would help support the cost. To date, the Yellowhead has received an anonymous donation of $10,000 to support the four-sided system. In addition, the scoreboard will provide sponsors with options to advertise. These features and the donation helped the board make the decision to approve the centre ice clock as they believe the revenues from advertising will be able to offset the additional cost.
As for a time frame for when this work is to be completed, removal of the old boards and installation of the new ones is only expected to take a couple of weeks. At this time, the YHC board is waiting to hear back from the suppliers they wish to use to confirm availability, but is confident all upgrades will be done before the start of hockey and figure skating season.
This is the second straight year the YHC board has moved ahead with massive upgrades. In 2016, around $150,000 worth of improvements to the facility included the installation of new LED lighting, a de-humidifier, low-E ceiling, the painting of the arena seating and readjustment of the heating system.
As for the old arena boards, which date back to 1971, they have been offered to and accepted by a local community for use in their facility. Before that agreement was finalized, the boards were first offered to the Town of Neepawa for use at the Flats. Representatives with the town declined the offer.
Neepawa’s Yellowhead Centre is a non-profit community owned recreation facility that was first developed in 1971. The facility is home to many local organizations including the Neepawa Natives junior ‘A’ hockey club, the Neepawa Farmers senior hockey team, Neepawa Tigers high school hockey team and local minor hockey. It is also home to the Neepawa Figure Skating Club, Synchro Skating and wide array of other programs.
