DIDSBURY - The failure of the ice condenser at the Didsbury Memorial Complex in December resulted in a revenue loss of $98,000, council heard during a budget meeting on March 10.
Acting chief administrative officer Amanda Riley gave council an update on the failure of the unit, which forced the removal of the ice surface in the arena and the curling rink for the 2024-25 hockey and curling season.
The failure was found to be an ammonia leak in a condenser, which is equipment used in the ice making process.
During a special council meeting on Jan. 6, council carried a motion instructing administration to bring back the adjustment to the operations costs and revenues at the facilities due to the condenser failure.
“Both the arena and curling rink will see three months of lost revenues for the period of January to March 2025,” said Riley. “This is estimated at approximately $98,000.
“While there will be some reductions in expenses for the same time frame related to staffing costs, the use of water and the cost of electricity, it is not enough to cover the lost revenue.”
There was a reduction in wages of $23,000, water usage of $11,000, and electricity usage of $10,000, for a total saving of $44,000.
“The net budget impact is expected to be $54,000,” she said. “The costs associated with the rental chiller have not been factored into the amounts listed.”
In January, council approved the rental of the temporary condenser at a cost of about $67,000. The temporary unit was to be brought on-line before Feb. 1, allowing the main ice rink to be re-opened.
“Regrettably, once the contractor began the process of setting the unit up and connecting to the existing system, it became apparent that it would not work as proposed,” the Town of Didsbury said in a Jan. 24 release.
At the time, town officials said it had not yet been determined if the municipality would be able to recoup the rental cost.
“The costs associated with the rental of the chiller have not been factored into the amounts listed,” Riley told council in her report at the March 10 budget meeting.
Chamber sound system update
In other news from the budget meeting, council was given an update on council chambers sound system enhancement.
In November, council carried a motion that information to improve the sound system in chambers be brought back for consideration.
“After preparing an evaluation of the current system it was found that one of the primary challenges with the existing system is the internet connection,” said Riley. “This challenge is being addressed as part of the network and server upgrade project, which is scheduled to begin in April.
“The project is anticipated to improve the network connection to chambers; after such time, the sound system and live streaming options may be re-evaluated to determine which issues are arising as a result of poor internet connection, and which are resulting from system set up.”
The Town of Didsbury is current meeting the legislated requirements regarding electronic participation and complies with the council procedural bylaw, she noted.
Coun. John Baswick said, “I think we should look at both the video and audio in this and make sure that we are not short-changing ourselves.”
