While Arnprior waits for completion of the Nick Smith Centre refurbishments, ice surfaces are on the back burner. Meantime, a packed schedule will give Renfrew’s recreation department plenty of chances to make their ice pad perfect as we get closer to hockey season.
The town’s Recreation Operations Supervisor Shawn Eckford has been watching closely as his team begins the delicate process of flooding both ice pads at the myFM Centre, working with a team of painters to develop a surface that will stand up to hundreds of free skates, hockey games, figure skating, and other events that will get underway this month.
It’s a process that requires dozens of passes with a specialized handheld water sprayer along the arena floor, which Eckford says has been chilled to around 16° Fahrenheit (-8° Celsius), with breaks taken in-between sprays to paint the base white layer, the red and blue lines, and finally the sponsor and team logo decals.
The quality of their work will be put to the test early, as the ice will be held to a high standard thanks to a privately run hockey camp and a number of free skates and personal bookings through most of August.
Eckford says he trusts the experience of his team.
Schedules for ice times are being published on the town’s website and on social media, with the first free public skate of the year happening from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on Saturday, August 9th.
(written by Kasey Egan)