Vernon city council decides to demolish Civic Arena

VERNON – The City of Vernon has decided to move ahead with demolition of the Civic Arena.

In a news release, the City says council decided today, Nov. 14, to pursue the demolition. The move comes after council received a structural building assessment and cost estimates associated with reusing the building.

The 80-year-old building would require significant upgrades to keep it. Bringing the building into compliance with the building code would cost around $11 to $12 million according to the reports. The City says new construction would be approximately $8 to $9 million, but the estimates do not include any interior finishing or upgrades for future use.

Early next year City staff are expected to outline a demolition process, including salvaging and reusing materials, specifically the large timber trusses in the building, cost estimates for demolition and potential funding.

Talks of what the future of the Civic Arena looked like were sparked by the new ice surface expansion at Kal Tire Place, with an expected opening date of Sept. 1, 2018. Once complete, the Civic Arena will not be used as an ice surface.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.