(Nipawin Kinsmen, Facebook)

By Ben Tompkins

Pinedale Project

Nipawin Kinsmen Club fundraising for outdoor rink renovations

Apr 17, 2023 | 2:42 PM

The Nipawin Kinsmen Club has officially announced their Pinedale outdoor rink renovation project.

With the Town’s approval of their plan at last week’s council meeting, the Kinsmen have now begun fundraising efforts.

The club expects they’ll need just over $86,000 to construct brand-new rink boards and expand their Kin-hut to build a shop for their ‘Pinedale Flyer’ Zamboni.

According to their Facebook page, it was realized that in the current condition of the boards, there will be no Pinedale Rink next winter, without this project going forward this summer.

“The boards are just weathered and spent,” explained Spencer Maxwell, Kinsmen president. “They’re dealing with winter conditions, they’re in the snow when we’re flooding, so they’re getting right in that moisture a lot of times, and it’s just kind of a natural progression of things just wearing out.”

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(Nipawin Kinsmen/Facebook)

The club is hoping to do things better this time to get a longer life out of it, so the plan is to pour concrete footing all the way around the border of the rink, which the boards will sit on to keep them out of the moisture.

The concrete footing is also expected to help when the ice melts, as in prior years, the water would run out of the northeast corner of the rink, which would eventually lead to erosion of the land and sand, and make the ground all hilly.

With the footing in place, however, it will keep the ground level, the water can just sink in, and it will be easier and quicker to flood when the colder temperatures arrive.

And, as for the expansion to the Kin-hut, this will allow them to store their Zamboni on-site, rather than ‘down the road’.

(Nipawin Kinsmen/Facebook)

This past winter, they had to store their Zamboni at the Murray Dunn dealership in town, which led to having not the easiest ice maintenance routine, however, they were still appreciative they at least had a spot to park it.

“Big thanks to Murray Dunn this past winter for letting us store it there,” added Maxwell. “It worked, not too bad, but it definitely would be a lot more conducive to ice maintenance and taking care of the rink with a storage facility right at the rink to avoid having to drive across town.”

It will be a 22-foot expansion right off the rink with a heated storage work area for maintaining the facility and the ice.

The Kin Club has already received numerous donations of $2,500+, as the plan is to have a sign erected with all the sponsors and their levels, once everything is complete.

Platinum sponsorship is for donations above $10,000, gold is $7,500 to $9,999, silver is $5,000 to $7,499, bronze is $2,500 to $4,999, and Friends of Pinedale Rink is below $2,500.

Meanwhile, the Town itself is also doing its part to help out (having a stake in the building/land), as they are offering tax receipts for individual donations, and are holding all the funds, so the process is done in the most economically viable way possible.

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On Twitter @BenTompkins_8