Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown says the city is open adding a curling rink in its plans to replace Simmons arena.
The Charlottetown Curling Club was built in 1959 and Brown said it is in need of major repairs. He said he has spoken with officials from the curling club about what the city can do to help.
“It’s really showing its age and they’re trying to work with the city, work with other partners to upgrade or build a new facility,” Brown said.
“We’re definitely going to have to Band-Aid it for this coming year. But we have to look at something in the future to replace it.”
The Charlottetown Curling Club is in need of upgrades that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, says president Tyler Harris. (CBC)
Unlike Simmons arena, which is owned by the city, the Charlottetown Curling Club is owned by its membership.
Tyler Harris is the president of the curling club and says it is facing renovations and repairs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For example, the foundation under the ice surface is sand, instead of concrete like most curling rinks. The sand foundation takes more water and electricity to maintain, he said, and makes the space unusable during the non-curling months.
‘Generate some new interest’
Harris said he wants what’s best for the citizens of Charlottetown and the curling club members, but said it makes sense to partner with the city on a multi-ice surface when the city is already planning to replace Simmons arena.
Brown said if the curling club becomes part of the Simmons project, it could sell its building on Euston Street and that property could be used for another purpose, such as to build affordable housing.
Harris said a partnership with the city would go a long way toward securing the future of curling in Charlottetown.