Penticton to spend $45,000 on repairs to Memorial Arena

PENTICTON  – The Memorial Arena in Penticton is in dire need of a cash injection in order to keep functioning this upcoming winter season.

City council has approved $45,000 for short term capital improvements to the aging sports facility.

Director of operations Mitch Moroziuk says the money will be used to reinforce rotted wind posts for the upcoming season. Full repairs of the glulam arches is expected to cost $500,000.

With the interim repairs, the facility can continue to operate for two more years but will have a wind restriction applied to it for sustained winds over 80 kilometres an hour. If winds reach or exceed that limit the building will be shut down.

The short term repairs will be paid for from funds originally budgeted to provide a new electrical service to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, a project which has been cancelled for 2016.

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