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Contract awarded for Fernie Memorial Arena

Freon ice plant to be installed; user groups back on the ice for the 2018/19 season
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The future of the Fernie Memorial Arena is looking up, after a contract awarded by the City of Fernie to install a new refrigeration plant will give the arena a fresh start by August.

On Thursday, March 29 the City of Fernie announced Startec Refrigeration Services Ltd. of Calgary had been selected as the successful bid to provide the new refrigeration plant for Fernie Memorial Arena.

“Awarding this contract will be a major step towards ensuring the arena is open for the 2018/19 winter season,” said City of Fernie CAO Norm McInnis.

After receiving several proposals from different companies, City staff carefully examined them and recommended the system proposed by Startec to council. Their reason for doing so; Startec’s proposal to use synthetic refrigerant instead of ammonia, which they saw as the best fit for Fernie and the arena.

The contract, worth $882,820, is to construct a Freon ice plant. With a substantially lower GWP (Global Warming Potential) than similar Freon refrigeration systems, this refrigerant is increasingly being used at ice rinks throughout Europe and North America.

“Startec has been one of the most trusted names in recreational refrigeration for over 40 years and they will bring their depth of experience to bear to complete this project” added McInnis.

Startec says they’re pleased that their design approach will meet the needs of the city, and say they’re excited to get to work.

“We are very proud to be able to provide assistance knowing that we will play a role in getting the user groups and the community back into their facility,” said Mike Kelly, Technical Sales for Startec Refrigeration Services.

Work is scheduled to be complete by August 1st, with Startec training City of Fernie staff to safely operate and maintain the equipment throughout August in time for the 2018/2019 season.

The investigation into last year’s incident at Fernie Memorial Arena are ongoing.



Phil McLachlan

About the Author: Phil McLachlan

Phil McLachlan is the editor at the Penticton Western News. He served as the reporter, and eventually editor of The Free Press newspaper in Fernie.
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