Moncton Curlers' Association building up for sale

After more than 100 years, theMoncton Curlers' Association (MCA)building on Lutz Street is being sold byCurl Monctonin aneffort to create a 10-sheet curling facility for the city and become a "centre of curling excellence" in Eastern Canada.

Past president, and long-time member of the MCA,Lorne Mitton, says it is sad to see the old rinkgo.

"This year I would have been a member of the Moncton Curlers' Association for 50yearsdidn't quite make it," he said in an interview on Information Morning MonctononWednesday.

The MCA building was purchased by Curl Monctonin 2013,after the Beaver and Beasjourcurling clubs had merged to formCurl Moncton.

Curl MonctonspokespersonJacquesRobichaudsaysafter operating the MCA rink for a couple of years, membership was declining and thethe building hadbecome "a bit draining on resources.

"So we're putting it up for sale with the idea of re-directing those resources to our 80LockhartAvenue location, where we want to build an additional five sheets of ice."

Robichaud says having five sheets of ice,in two different locations, was difficult to manage, and taking the profitsfrom the sale to expand the Curl Monctonlocationmakes sense.

He says having one facility with10 sheets of ice will allow CurlMonctonto apply to host different events, and to expand its popular summer curling camps, which had to turn more than 50 people away over the summer.

"This is all part of our strategic plan to build curling, and to become the centre of curling excellence for curling in all of Eastern Canada," Robichaud said.

"With thosefiveadditionalsheets of ice we'll be designated as the centre for youth curling, so we wantto put an emphasis on curling for youth and build from there."

Moncton Curlers'Association has rich past

MCA started out in 1881 on lower Lutz Street, before moving to Mechanic Street in 1903. A fire destroyed that building and it was rebuilt at its current site in 1915.

Mittonsays curling was hugely popular when he joined the club back in 1965.

"You'll find this hard to believe, but there were three shifts of curling every night for men,"Mittonsaid.

"One at 5:15, you had to go from work if you were on the early shift, another one at 7:30 and another one at 9:15 five nights a week, so that's how things have changed over the years."

He says he has mixed feelings about the building being sold.

"In the short-term I felt bad in a way, but in the long term this is the future of curling in Moncton," hesaid.

"It's a trend right across the countryin all sports there's less participants in many sports, because there's so many other things to do."

Over the years, the MCA has produced many provincial championship teams led by localcurlers,includingHarold and HapMabey, Dr. EdSteeves, L.A.Pinder, P. Piers, Tony Richardson, Ron Ferguson and TerryOdishaw.

Robichaudsays thatrich history will not be lost, with plans already in place to move the trophies andmementosover to the CurlMonctonclub.

"There's all the history of the curling in Moncton in those trophies.When you go around you look at the trophies, and you seewho won the major event for this region in 1951or1955 or 1960 it's all there in the trophies, so you don't want to lose that."

Robichaud says if the building sells for the right price, the expansion of the Curl Moncton club on LockhartAvenuecould begin as early as the spring of 2016.