There is a delay in the reopening of the Sports Palace in Kapuskasing following the COVID-19 pandemic. Refrigeration pipe issues that originally began when a hole was accidently drilled into one back in March caught the eyes of the Town staff that there was a bigger issue. Town Administrator Guylain Baril says the larger problem occurred when they changed chemicals from Brine to Glycol.
“We converted from one to the other and it looks like we may not have flushed the system when we converted the system to glycol,” he said. “When the two are combined they create a sludge that clogs up the pipes.”
He adds they’re hopeful that the cleaning in the long run create better ice.
“Between the periods we go out and flood and scrape the ice,” he noted. “Sometimes it took a long time for the water to freeze and dissipate so we are hopeful with this change that the water will freeze up faster making it better for the users.”
The Town wanted to open up this week this week but that date has been pushed back until probably the second week in September.
Baril praised town staff at the arena for their hard work in taking care of the Sports Palace pipe problem. He adds the staff normally dedicates a lot of their time in the summer to the outdoor beautification projects, but have added the arena to their to do list.
