INNISFAIL – Both rinks at Innisfail Twin Arena are getting top-of-the-line dehumidifiers.
At town council’s regular meeting on May 10, Trish Cerin, facilities manager for the Town of Innisfail, requested approval of a $303,000 purchase for the Arena Dehumidifier Project.
Council was told the project includes the complete design, installation, and supply of a desiccant dehumidification system for the lnnisfail Twin Arena.
Desiccant dehumidification systems are ones designed to remove moisture from the air by using a desiccant, a material able to attract and hold water vapor. Desiccant dehumidifiers are known to be well-suited for removing moisture from air at low temperature and humidity levels.
Cerin said the town is buying two units, one for the red ice and another for the blue. She told council the decision was made for two to give each rink the ability to operate the systems independently.
“I’ve done a dual rink one dehumidifier system before and you end up with more trouble than it’s worth,” Cerin said.
Ice is put in the local rinks during the first part of September, and tentatively taken out by the end of March, she said.
The new systems will help deal with any future difficult conditions the town has had to deal with in the past, she said.
“In order to do ice install you want to have relatively low humidity because you are misting the air with water to try to build the ice anyways. Two summers ago, we had rain and the inside building humidity was 99 per cent, not conducive to ice install,” she said.
Responding to a question about benefits of the new system from Coun. Donnie Hill, Cerin said it will give a more controlled environment, which in turns gives overall protection to the facility.
“We keep the humidity down on a regular basis, which means we extend the longevity of any steel structure of that building just because of the humidity,” said Cerin. “There is less chance of mould, bacteria growth and potentially better ice quality.”
Council was told the $303,000 cost for the new dehumidifiers will be covered by provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding.
The town is purchasing the new dehumidifiers from Startec Services. The purchase includes five-year equipment warranties.
Council was told the Town currently utilizes Startec for repairs and maintenance work on other arena components, and has been satisfied with the company’s service.
