Pat Duke Arena Change Room Renovation and Expansion Project Update
REGIONAL DISTRICT NORTH OKANAGAN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: August 28, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Gregerson, Communications Officer
PHONE/EMAIL: 250-550-3707 / ashley.gregerson@rdno.ca
Pat Duke Arena Change Room Renovation and Expansion Project Update
The Pat Duke Arena change room renovation and expansion project has run into some challenges but is still moving toward its target construction start date of spring 2020.
A significant amount of planning work was done in consultation with arena stakeholders in late 2018 to ensure the design of the new renovation and expansion would be as practical and efficient as possible. That feedback has helped MQN Architecture & Interior Design develop the facility plan, but the more cumbersome hurdles have occurred during the detailed design stage.
“In an older building, unforeseen challenges are not uncommon. Most of the complications have been related to the age of the building,” said Tannis Nelson, Manager of Community Services. “Building codes have changed a lot since this centennial arena was commissioned in 1967, and we must conform to current codes. This has required a lot of thoughtful problem solving and innovative solutions.”
While challenging, the project team is up to the task and is committed to adding value to the historic building by upgrading it to reflect modern needs and uses.
“This is a significant investment that we are making for the future,” said Rick Fairbairn, Chair of the White Valley Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee. “We are committed to moving it along as quickly as possible, but we also want to make sure that we get it right.”
Background
The Pat Duke Memorial Arena provides ice time for a variety of users, including minor hockey, figure skating, ringette and leisure ice uses, and has been serving the community since 1967.
Unfortunately, due to its age, the needs of all of the facility users are not being met. Due to an insufficient number of change rooms, female ice users have had to use inadequate facilities during co-ed play. The arena also poses challenges for users with mobility issues and does not meet today’s standards for accessibility.
As part of a community effort that began in 2016, residents and users came together and initiated fundraising to improve amenities in the arena. As a result of these efforts, Lumby won Kraft Hockeyville 2016, receiving $100,000 to put towards improving the facility.
Leveraging the community momentum that was generated through the successful Kraft Hockeyville win, in March 2018 the Village of Lumby and the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) were awarded an additional $2,595,625 million dollars to make improvements to the Pat Duke Arena in Lumby, B.C. Additional funding for the project included a grant from TELUS, and community fundraising totalling $75,000, and $230,000 provided by the RDNO through the White Valley Parks, Recreation and Culture service
The $3 M project is focused on adding four new change rooms and renovating the existing change rooms, but will also include upgrades to make the facility more operationally effective, safe, and energy-efficient.
The funding for this project has enabled a significant renovation and expansion to this cherished community arena, allowing it to continue to serve the North Okanagan well into the future.
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