Civic Arena's future

The Civic Arena may have a future in Vernon after Kal Tire Place is twinned.

Mayor Akbal Mund says he would like it to remain standing and used for something else once its days as an ice sheet come to an end.

A new arena is expected to be built and opened by the fall of 2018. Until then, the Civic will be babied along by city staff in hopes the ice sheet will last.

“I know people are waiting to hear council's direction on the Civic Arena, which is obviously a decision we'll make in a couple of years, but I know, in talking with most of council, we'd like to use it for something else,” says Mund.

The mayor says the big concern is the aging ice plant at the Civic, which staff say could fail at any time, knocking user groups off the ice.

Mund says it would cost too much to replace the plant.

“(But) the actual structure is sound, and I don't think there's anyone on council who would like to see that building torn down,” says Mund.

City staff may not agree.

Vernon recreation staff have pointed to the cracked floor, broken toilets and other issues.

As well, exterior wall cracks were identified in a 2014 engineering report. When the walls were opened, water was found to have damaged the concrete foundations.