Hockey lovers in Hay River persevere, despite another delay with new arena

Pennie Pokiak says living without an arena has been a long haul for hockey players in Hay River, N.W.T., a community she describes as a "hockey loving town."

Pokiak, the president of the Hay River Minor Hockey Association,says players had been anticipating the town's new recreation centre would be ready before Christmas. But now with the 2018 Arctic Winter Games only two months away it won't be ready until at least mid-February, according to a news release from the Town of Hay River and contractor Clark Builders.

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Hay Riverites have been waiting a long time for their new rec centre. In the summer of 2016, the city demolished the Don StewartRecreation Centrein order to build a brand-new, $21.3-million facility that was originally scheduled to be complete in October 2017.

"I think people are starting to get frustrated,"saidPokiak.

'You gotta do what you gotta do'

Hay River and Fort Smith are scheduled to host the Arctic Winter Games March 18 to 24. Pokiak says leading up to the games it's been harder for athletes to find ice time, register into tournaments and find opportunities to train.

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"You have some kids that are really eager to do anything they can to get on the ice," she said.

"And some others that have lost some interest, so that's unfortunate."

That said, she's proud of what her community has been able to accomplish without an arena. One family, she says, sent their son to Alberta to train, and he made the bantam team. Another family regularly makes the three-hour trek to Fort Smithto take advantage of that community's arena.

In total, five Hay River players made Arctic Winter Games hockey teams, according to Pokiak. Two made the bantam team,one was selected as an alternate, and two made the midget team.

"I think that maybe had we had the ice, there might have been a few kids that maybe would have given that much more and it would have given them the edge to get on the team," she said.

"But at the end of the day if you want to play hockey, you gotta do what you gotta do to make it happen and you know, some people did."

New rec centre could need renovations

An outstanding order from the N.W.T. Office of the Fire Marshal requires the contractor and town officials to address a safety issue with the central stairwell in the building's main lobby.

• Delays and safety issue plague new rec centre in Hay River, N.W.T.

According to Hay River Mayor Brad Mapes, officials from the fire marshal's office are concerned the stairwell isn't designed to allow for an orderly evacuation in case of an emergency.

Mapes stressed he doesn't want to see an unsafe arena open to the public, but he admitted he's not sure what the problem is. He described the stairwell design as not "much different from several other examples [the contractor] put forth to the fire marshal's office."

In the meantime, Mapes said the Town of Hay River hopes the Office of the Fire Marshal will be satisfied with a Fire Watch Program in the building. Basically, that means rec centre employees would watch for fires and help with evacuations in case of an emergency.

N.W.T. fire marshal Chucker Dewar said his office is reviewing this option and working with the town to find a solution.