The skating season at the Bashaw arena is getting underway after a brief delay. The Town of Bashaw council heard an update at their Oct. 1 regular meeting regarding ice making problems.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Theresa Fuller updated council on a problem that popped up as staff were performing their annual duty of crafting skating ice in the arena. “Staff discovered that the ice was not freezing the same in a 10 foot strip the length of the ice surface,” stated Fuller’s memo to council. “They had been monitoring it for two days prior, thinking that it was a circulation issue that may correct itself.

“The situation did not improve. Administration contacted stakeholders and arranged to meet them Sept. 23.” Fuller noted the issue was explained to users such as the figure skating and minor hockey groups that the soft ice patch may need further investigation that could involve removing boards to get at the pipes used to freeze the skating surface. The repair time could be two to five months, meaning minor hockey, figure skating and other rink-related users could have their entire seasons thrown into chaos; arena-users are well aware that ice time can be difficult to book.

Two community members, Dallas Bergstrom and Chad Hildebrandt, stepped forward with an offer to pay for necessary ice plant repairs which was then accepted by a resolution of council Sept. 24.

However, by Sept. 29 the brine system appeared to be circulating normally and that was the case as of the council meeting report but whether this would remain the case was uncertain. “We will not know definitively until the ice is reinstalled,” stated the report.

In the verbal update Fuller stated the brine system appears to be functioning normally but town staff are watching it to see if a soft spot appears. Readers should note a soft portion on the ice surface could pose a safety hazard for skaters.

The CAO also reported close inspection of the ice plant and brine system didn’t reveal anything wrong, neither air locked in the lines nor a brine blockage, so the soft spot was doubly puzzling.

As councillors discussed the ice plant’s strange behaviour, Fuller stated the Town of Bashaw has an annual maintenance plan for the arena that examines furnaces, hot water tanks, exhaust fans, boilers and lots of the building’s electrical equipment; in addition, Fuller stated the ice plant and brine system are also inspected. The town staff are looking at flushing the brine system at the end of the season.

Coun. Cindy Orom acknowledged the elephant in the room by asking what if the problem comes back and another soft spot appears?

The CAO answered, “We’re back at square one.”

Mayor Rob McDonald noted that some of the equipment involved is many decades old; he observed the building and the ice plant are both 66 years old.

Councillors accepted the report as information.