The Town of Saint Andrews has approved $25,000 for repairs to an arena water line that faced issues during the U20 Curling Championship last week.
Chris Spear, the town’s chief administrative officer, told the council when the W.C. O’Neill Arena was constructed, some of the water lines were laid within the concrete.
“One of those lines, going through the main lobby, broke on a Friday afternoon,” he said, speaking to the council.
Some of the work, he said, is underway.
“The total costs to have a plumber come in and do all the work is about $25,000, which has not been budgeted,” he said.
Spear suggested that council split the cost between the capital reserve fund and the tourism accommodation levy—a fee that can pay for repairs to tourism-related infrastructure and that all businesses within the municipality pay into.
The arena is a significant driver of tourism during the off-season.
“In a meeting, we had a couple of weeks ago, with Explore Saint Andrews, they were actually interested to see (to see that) were more people staying in the first quarter of winter than there are in the last quarter of fall,” Spear said.
As well, the public washrooms are on the same floor as the water line that has been impacted.
Mayor Brad Henderson said the 50-50 split seems the most fair, including the need for public washrooms.
“You need adequate washrooms and this building does a lot for this community,” he said. “We need washrooms.”
The council voted unanimously in support of the emergency funds needed for the repairs.
Author
