Halifax skating oval delayed by wind storm damage

Sunday's storm may have blownapart plans to have the Halifax skating oval ready for skaters by Christmas Day.

Terry Gallagher,project manager with HRM,said strong winds made a mess of the construction site on the Halifax Common, and the project could be set back by seven days.

"The wind got in underneath the vapour barrier and lifted the whole assembly of insulation, reinforcing steel, welded wire mesh, chairsthe whole thing. In one place on the site, we had a pile about 12 feet high, a mixture of rebar and piping, it was a real mess," Gallagher said.

Crews will likely use a sand base around one-quarter of the track, he said, instead of covering the entire surface with concrete to try to make-up for lost time.

'By the end of last week, we were in a really great position. People were excited on site, everyone was energized by being on schedule with the project. This is a real important project to everybody involved and there's a real buzz on site," Gallagher said.

"So, I think everyone shares the disappointment, whether you're laying insulation or you're the project manager."

Halifax regional councillors voted in March to make the skating oval a permanent fixture, after its popularity during the Canada Winter Games last winter.

The projected cost to build the 400-metre oval is $4.3 million next year and an extra $1.4 million in 2013. It would cost about $400,000 every year to operate.