Arena manager Shannon Heddon said she is concerned with the future of the PineRidge Ford Curling Club Arena. (Elliott Knopp/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Elliott Knopp

Curling Arena

PineRidge Ford curling clubs worried about arena future

Jul 13, 2021 | 5:30 PM

With a little over a month having passed since the Meadow Lake & District Arena was destroyed in a fire, there are still more questions than answers.

While local hockey teams and skaters in the community looking for answers as to where they can participate in their preferred sport, the PineRidge Ford Curling Club teams are also growing concerned with the future of their activities.

When the community arena was destroyed in the incident in June, so were a majority of the items inside of it. One of those items seemingly compromised by the blaze was the ice plant that produced the playing surfaces for both arenas.

Shannon Heddon, the curling rink manager, says the curling arena had an agreement in place with the hockey arena to supply the curling arena with its ice surface. The curling arena would cover the costs of its surface in return.

With that no longer possible, Heddon said the future of the arena is unknown with no idea of what lies ahead.

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“We are unsure if there is a plant, or if there is insurance for fixing the plant so it can be operational for us. We’re don’t know if there will be any support moving forward from the city or not,” Heddon shared.

While the anxieties surrounding the facilities future continue to build, people who utilized the rink will have to continue waiting for further instruction.

Earlier this year, Meadow Lake City Council stated they would avoid making any decisions until the investigation into the arena fire was completed, and the insurance company had settled on a sum of what the city would be compensated for the loss.

Currently, there aren’t any updates on the investigation, and an insurance estimate has not been announced.

While some organizations will likely be directed to other facilities in neighbouring communities, Heddon explained the loss of this facility, as well as the Meadow Lake & District Arena, is a loss to the community.

“We house league curling, school curling, and competition curling. It’s a whole community that’s going to be affected if we can’t get it up and running. Everything is up in the air right now.”

A time for when the investigation and insurance claim is expected to be completed has not yet been determined.

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp