September 26, 2011
Confederation Arena Reopening Delayed -
DSC
Programs to Remain at South Side Arena
Derrick Skating Club received notice from the City of Edmonton last Wednesday that Confederation Arena will not be back in service on schedule. A press release issued by the City on Thursday indicated, "[Confederation Arena] will remain closed to assess damage to the cooling system that occurred during the shutdown" and, "It's expected it may take up to six months to complete the additional repairs to the arena."
Representatives from DSC's Board of Directors and from Hockey Edmonton, together the biggest users of Confederation Arena, met with City officials on Thursday afternoon to discuss a plan of action to deal with the unexpected delay. To our great relief, Hockey Edmonton proposed that DSC be allowed to remain in South Side Arena through March 2012 while the repairs are completed. The only concession from DSC will be that we relocate our Saturday programming to another arena on a few dates (yet to be determined) during large hockey tournaments.
This is a fantastic solution to what could have been a huge problem for the Club. The City has no obligation to provide alternative ice, so DSC faced a worst case scenario of having to cancel all of its programming during the extended closure. Instead, thanks to the generosity of Hockey Edmonton, DSC will be able to keep all of its currently scheduled ice times through the end of March,albeit at South Side Arena instead of Confederation Arena.
The only real drawback of staying at South Side Arena is the absence of suitable off ice training facilities for junior development and private skaters. Obviously, the outdoor sessions that have bridged the gap so far will not be practical for much longer as the cold weather approaches. The Club continues to look for a venue for this important aspect of our athletes' training and the City has agreed to step in to help us secure suitable space nearby.
Derrick Skating Club extends its deepest gratitude to Hockey Edmonton for allowing the Club to remain in South Side Arena for the duration of the 2011/12 winter skating season with virtually no impact on programming. The Club looks forward to providing its members with the same, high-calibre training and coaching experience that you expect and deserve while we are temporarily displaced from our home arena.
Norene James |
Bob Forgie |