A public presentation describing the effects of the arena closure on Elliot Lake Minor Hockey will be presented by the club president at Monday's council meeting.
The Feb. 10 meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m., is open to public attendance. Citizens who wish to speak for up to two minutes during the public input session are required to register before noon on the day of the meeting using the city’s online form.
Council meetings are livestreamed here and broadcast on Eastlink cable channel 10.
The city is currently undergoing changes to a new streaming platform and it may be necessary to use the alternate livestream link that will appear as "WEBCAST" in the calendar when the meeting begins.
Monday's agenda says the presentation by the minor hockey president is regarding the “impact of extended closure of the Rogers Arena.”
Recent history
Elliot Lake’s arena closed suddenly due to structural concerns on Sept. 12, 2023, three days after the first home game of the newly established Vikings, a Junior A hockey team.
The moved-up structural inspection was performed after a recommendation of staff was approved on Aug. 14, 2023. It was the same council meeting as the by-law authorizing a Facility Use Agreement with the Vikings was approved, a few minutes later.
On March 8, 2024, six months after the wood structure was inspected and remediation was underway, structural health monitor alarms began, precipitating the investigation of foundation footings.
Throughout the many months, councillors have frequently expressed a strong desire to see the arena opened for September 2024 and repairs to the wood structure were fast-tracked.
The structural wood repair work continued in parallel with the foundation investigation work. Multiple solutions were proposed to resolve the foundation deficiencies but site conditions rendered each solution unsuitable.
The most recent recommendation is an earlier recommendation: to pursue a solution with micro piles.
Boring for a test micro pile is underway this week.
Funds and fundraising
Elliot Lakers rallied to support a bid to win Kraft Hockeyville 2024. And our community won on March 30.
On Nov. 12, Interim CAO Rob deBortoli presented an oral report, delivered as an announcement. “To date, the total amount of funds committed and or expended is approximately $11 million," he informed council.
On Dec. 18, two local construction firms generously donated $50,000 each, adding to the very sizable donation pool of individual and corporate donations totalling in the millions of dollars.
Later the same day, at a special council meeting, Coun. Helen Lefebvre suggested that because the January opening would not be met, the clubs impacted by the delay should come to council and present what their impact is.
"My suggestion is if we're delaying, it sounds like we are delaying the opening of the arena, then it would be worthwhile to have the clubs that are impacted come to the next council meeting to present what is the impact on them not having the arena open in January, because we've promised this," she said.
"I'm guessing the Vikings will have a financial impact, which we may want to look at addressing somehow, but that would be my suggestion," she added.
On Dec. 31, the Vikings announced the team had been granted a leave of absence from the league, suspending the remainder of their season.