Temiskaming Shores has just taken delivery of a new Olympia Millenium-E Electric Ice Resurfacer., the the first electric one for the City.
It's expected to be used at the Don Shepherdson Memorial Arena.
The ice resurfacer was delivered on February 29, and, following training, was put into service on March 1.
The current ice resurfacer will be moved to the Dymond outdoor rink to be used seasonally.
"I am thrilled to introduce the City’s new electric ice resurfacer, marking a significant step towards sustainability in our community," said Jeff Laferriere, Mayor of Temiskaming Shores. "This investment not only enhances recreation for our residents but also underscores our commitment to a greener future for generations to come."
The City and GP North Woods entered into an agreement for the advertisement on this new ice resurfacer. The agreement is for three years, plus an option for an additional three years and provides $7,000 in advertising revenue to the City each year.
"Georgia-Pacific understands strong communities make life better for everyone: our employees, neighbors and customers,” said Kelly Head, plant manager of Georgia-Pacific’s Englehart manufacturing site. “We especially take pride in our support for the environment, students and their education which is essential to the sustainability of our communities.”
The City’s arenas and outdoor rinks operate several ice resurfacers to perform ice upkeep and maintenance which are crucial for the public’s safe use.
"Downtime has an immediate and costly effect on programming which makes it imperative that the ice resurfacers are kept current and reliable," says a news release.
As part of regular lifecycle replacement, staff proposed the replacement of the old ice resurfacer as part of the 2022 capital budget and submitted their order for a total cost of $162,300. Due to the increasing costs of fossil fuels and decreased maintenance costs associated with electric vehicles, staff recommended that an electric resurfacer be purchased.
The City expects to save at least $2,800 per year in fuel costs by switching to electric and will see a decrease of 5.2t of CO2 emitted per year, assisting in reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
