Charlottetown city councilor says there's no timeline for new Simmons Sports Center to open

Crews are narrowing down the location of the leak that prevented the opening of the new Simmons Sports Center in Charlottetown, but it remains unclear when the work will be completed.

Staff discovered earlier this month that they were unable to make ice due to leaks in pipes in the arena’s concrete ice surface slab.

“We can’t put a timeline or time frame on this because it’s too early to do this,” said Coun. Mitchell Tweel, chairman of the city’s parks, recreation and leisure committee, told CBC News on Saturday.

“If you go ahead and put a timeline… then you create expectation.”

In a press release Friday, the city said crews are performing tests to pinpoint the location of the problem to complete repairs.

The statement states that the work is complicated because the infrastructure includes approximately 18 kilometers of pipeline.

A man in a gray suit is being interviewed. It is framed from the chest up. His face is serious. There's a CBC microphone in front of him — Dear. Mitchell Tweel, chairman of Charlottetown’s parks, recreation and leisure committee, said he is confident workers will open the arena as soon as possible. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC News)

Tweel said the leak appeared to be near where one of the blue lines on the ice surface was.

Although city staff will prepare a report on the cost of the repairs once they are completed, Tweel believes the work will be covered under warranty.

‘Hindsight is 20/20’

The building was expected to open on October 14, but the city delayed that to allow the contractor to find and repair the leak.

The arena replaces the original Simmons Sports Center, which was built more than 50 years ago. This structure, located next to the new facility on North River Road, was recently demolished.

Tweel said the council had discussed keeping the old track open until the new sports center was ready, but some of the funding needed for the project was contingent on demolishing the old building.

Simmons sports center in Charlottetown. — The new sports center will be open all year round. There is an NHL-sized rink, an indoor walking track and an outdoor swimming pool. (Robert LeClair/CBC)

“We were pretty confident we could go. Testing was done just a few days before the expected opening date,” he said.

“Hindsight is 20/20. It’s easy to say we should have let it go, and that’s a valuable discussion.”

The new sports center will be open all year and will feature an NHL-sized rink with a capacity of approximately 600 people, an indoor walking track and an outdoor swimming pool.

Tweel said while repairs are being completed on the new arena, other venues such as the Eastlink Center and Cody Banks Arena are being scouted for ice time.

He said he had “full confidence” that the contractor would repair the leak and open the center as soon as possible.

“It’s just a phenomenal facility, I would probably recommend one of the nicest community facilities in Atlantic Canada,” Tweel said.