Calgary,
20
February
2019
|
11:58
America/Denver

Fairview arena updates one year following roof collapse

The City has determined it will not be replacing the Fairview Arena at its current location following the arena roof collapse one year ago.

James McLaughlin, Acting Director, Calgary Recreation, said The City’s current practice is to build multi sheet arenas, typically in combination with other amenities, to best address regional needs and achieve economies of scale. The Fairview site cannot accommodate a facility of that size.

“Given the loss of this ice sheet we will be updating our arena studies to explore current and future citizen and stakeholder needs in the region,” said McLaughlin. “The study will help guide future development, make best use of limited financial resources and maximize investment back into the community.”

McLaughlin expressed appreciation to the remaining community partners in the Fairview facility. “We want to thank our community partners for their patience and cooperation as we work through this. We will continue to work closely to ensure their immediate needs are being met and future goals are taken into consideration.”

Fairview residents and other stakeholders will be engaged on the future use of the site. A decision will be made once neighbourhood and city-wide needs have been fully explored.

Following the collapse of the Fairview arena roof on February 20, 2018, an independent engineering firm was commissioned by The City’s insurance company. A report presented to The City last week identified multiple factors that may have contributed to the roof failure. It is common for a causation report to point to more than one possible factor. The City has asked for additional assessment.

The City of Calgary is committed to providing Calgarians with safe and accessible buildings in which they live, work and play. Following the Fairview Arena roof collapse, City Safety Inspectors conducted visual assessments of all 41 City-owned arenas and no imminent signs of risk were found.

The City has ongoing programs to identify and assess the lifecycle conditions of community-based amenities/buildings on City-owned land. In addition, The City has a program to provide funding and support to community organizations on City-owned land to conduct regular structural and other safety-related assessments on amenities/buildings.