Stu Peppard Arena temporary closure

Stu Peppard  Arena, located at 5300 19 S.W. will be closed for the remainder of the ice season. City of Calgary Recreation made this decision in light of a structural engineer’s report which confirms that two large sections of the roof have been compromised.

 

“It is necessary to close the facility in the interest of public safety and to ensure that the necessary repairs can be made,” said Shelley Shea, Manager, South Region, and Recreation. “We want to ensure this facility continues to be a safe place for citizens and user groups now, and into the future.”

The report confirms that ice load caused by recent melting and freezing of snow resulted in the structural fatigue of two sections of the roof. Recreation has begun design work for the repair to both the east and west sections of the roof, but due to the complexity of the repair and size of the area being addressed Stu Peppard Arena will remain closed until the end of March  - the remainder of the 2013 primary ice season.

 

“We appreciate how well utilized this facility is and understand the inconveniences associated with its closing,” said Shea.  “We thank Stu Peppard user groups for their patience as we work to resolve this situation as quickly, and safely as possible.”

 

Hockey Calgary is the primary users of the facility with the arena being home to the Junior B Royals and AAA Midget Royals. City of Calgary Recreation is working closely with Hockey Calgary and other user groups to find alternate ice times in other City of Calgary arenas. City of Calgary partner facilities are also being encouraged to look for available ice.  This closure affects approximately 20 user groups in total.

 

With repairs estimated to be completed by April, the hope is to be open in time to accommodate any dry pad requests from user groups, such as lacrosse.  

 

Over the next four to six weeks City of Calgary Recreation will also take the opportunity to inspect all other recreation facilities with similar roof construction, as a precautionary measure. If subsequent facilities require repair, they will be addressed.

 

Stu Peppard Arena has been closed since 17 January 2013 after the fatiguing sections of the roof were discovered during a routine facility check.

 

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