Photo: City of Vernon

"I actually got called Mr. on time and on budget by a member of the community," Doug Ross says to Vernon City Council with a laugh.

Ross, the director of recreation services for the city, has reason to smile. Eleven months into construction of the $13 million project and he was again able to report to council that the Kal Tire Place expansion is on time and on budget. 

"That project is doing really well. We are moving forward," says Ross. "The orange roof is going on. That's one of the milestones."

Work on the roof was slowed down due to the extended winter, but crews are making up time.

 Finishing work is also being done inside the building. Ross says the change rooms and washrooms have been painted and tile work is ongoing. 

Some benches have been installed, and in the hockey area, the glass partition is in place.

"In a lot of places, it is actually starting to look like a hockey arena," he says.

Ross says they are expecting to have the arena open in September.

Meanwhile, the city has started its assessment of the decommissioned Civic Arena.

"Staff have gone through the building and assessments are being done on different pieces of equipment; look at things that can be reused and reclaimed and other things that should be left behind for salvage."

The civic holds a lot of history in Vernon and the City is looking for ways to incorporate that history into the new building.

While Ross won't say what a homage would look like, but he did provide a clue. 

"We have also looked at the wood and there's any number of things we could do with it," he says.

"It was a big part of the community for a long time and I know that we definitely want to say something about that history in the new building and so you'll probably, hopefully, see some wood over there, possibly in a sign."

City staff are working with prospective tenants for the lease spaces and are hoping to have lease agreements finalized prior to June 1.

The City of Vernon is solely responsible for the project and is required to provide a monthly progress report. 

Kal Tire announced it will continue its sponsorship of Kal Tire Place and the new twin facility for an additional ten years until August 2027. The original four-year sponsorship agreement was set to expire this May.