CREMONA – A major fundraising effort to ensure the Cremona arena’s ice plant remains fully functional is well underway.
The project, which is estimated to cost just over $270,000 including the cost of a replacement chiller and the part’s installation, has been on the Cremona and District Agricultural Society’s radar for some years.
“We did an extensive renovation and addition to the arena in 2020, and this was a next step in making sure that we’ve got a thriving facility for the community for years out,” said Philip Reid, president of the society, which runs the arena and is responsible for its maintenance.
“This is a pre-emptive strike – this is prophylactic. A failure of the chiller that gives no warning, and then we’re shut down for as long as it takes to replace the part,” Reid told the Albertan.
This past December, the arena in Didsbury was forced to temporarily shut down when that ice plant’s condenser failed, forcing ice and curling rink users to go elsewhere.
“We were on this long before Didsbury, but Didsbury certainly let us know we were on the right track,” said Reid.
The Cremona Arena’s structure was built in 1984 and the ice plant was installed and turned on in 1987, he said, adding that to his knowledge, the chiller hasn’t been replaced since.
A chiller is one of three main components in an ice plant – the other two being a compressor and condenser – and effectively acts as a heat exchanger, he said.
“The chiller takes the heat out of the brine and sends it out into the condenser outside,” he said.
“They’re not an uncommon part. Refrigeration and air conditioning – you know, that type of thing – use these types of parts all the time,” he said, adding the society was able to source both the part and work to have it installed from a Canadian company.
“It’s most likely a week-long job that has to happen in the off season.”
But a chiller isn’t an eye-catching feature that makes an easier sell when soliciting funds.
“It’s a hard thing to get momentum around when it’s a boring part that nobody sees,” he said.
“The part is hidden in the compressor room, which is isolated from the rest of the building because of the ammonia refrigerant we use,” he explained.
“Nobody sees it except the arena workers and those of us who are in leadership and briefed in the dangers of being in the mechanical room.”
Although the project has been in the society’s sights for a while, the fundraising effort started to build up late last fall.
“We had hired a grant writer a year ago, but that didn’t go well. So, I kind of feel like we lost a year on the project,” he said.
More recently, the society has applied for a provincial grant in the amount of $125,000.
“But we have not received approval yet. We’re cautiously optimistic,” he said. “They have a tough job to do as well. We know we’re not the only place with need.”
In the meantime, Mountain View County provided “a very generous grant” worth $60,000 “through the Cremona and District Recreation and Culture Board,” he said.
During its regularly scheduled meeting on March 12, county council was updated on the recent approval of reserve funding in support of the Cremona ice plant chiller replacement.
The motion reads: “That council receives as information the Cremona and District Recreation and Culture Board’s approval of $60,000 from the Cremona and District Recreation and Culture Reserve to fund the Cremona Agriculture Society’s ice plant chiller.”
The board met on Feb. 20 and moved to allocate $60,000 from the reserve to go to the Cremona ag society’s arena chiller, council heard.
“The Cremona and District Recreation and Culture Board distributes funding on behalf of Mountain View County due to the high percentage of rural residents in the area,” said county CAO Jeff Holmes.
“The board is responsible for ensuring that quality of life opportunity are available to residents of the county, within the Cremona Recreation district, through development, management and support of recreation and cultural services.”
Also contributing to the cause are community groups including the Cremona Lions Club, which kicked in a further $25,000, the Cremona Rustlers with $10,000 as well as the Cremona Skating Club with another $5,000, said Reid.
“We have the funding to pay the deposit on the work and the parts,” he said.
“We are very much hoping that the provincial grant comes through, because we certainly don’t have the money for the rest of it,” he said, nevertheless expressing optimism.
“We’re confident in our fundraising,” he said. “None of this happens without some optimism.”
A fundraiser featuring some friendly hockey action as well as a raffle room, bake sale and auction was held this past Saturday to build up more momentum. The society raffled off two electric bicycles worth $6,000.
The lineup included a kids three-on-three tournament and a U18 game between the Cremona Cowboys and a Cochrane team which ultimately led up to the main event that evening with the Coaches Showdown when the Cremona Rustlers coaches from rec hockey faced off against the Cremona Cowboys' coaches from minor hockey.
“The community came together and raised $27,000,” he said, adding that was approximately 68 per cent more than the amount raised last year.
There was “a huge turnout” with Reid estimating that as many as a couple thousand people came by throughout the day – about 500 for the main event, a few hundred for the U18 game, as well as “a steady stream of people” who came out for the three-on-three tournament.
“I’d say it’s evidence of a caring community,” he said about the results.
“We had three generations of community boosters volunteering for this thing – we had grandparents doing things and grandchildren doing other things,” he said, adding the fundraiser was made possible courtesy of a multi-generational effort that also crossed socio-economic boundaries.
- With files from Dan Singleton
