Memorial Gardens reopening on the weekend

The City of North Bay informed ice users and the media today that at 7 a.m. Saturday morning North Bay Memorial Gardens will re-open to the public.

The arena was closed on Thursday afternoon and a Battalion game versus Barrie was postponed due to some cracks found in the walls.   

"Late Thursday afternoon some drywall cracking occurring in the bulkheads constructed slightly below the underside of the roof structure over the upper-level suites was noticed during regular maintenance in the Memorial Gardens," the city stated in a release this afternoon.  

"Due to the amount of snow that has been received and accumulated on the roof this winter it was determined to engage a structural engineer." 

The city adds these areas were visually reviewed by the structural engineer and noted as non-structural cracks. 

"The drywall installation did not account for the normal movement (flexing) of the structural braces piercing the drywall when the braces are under load. The structural engineer also visually reviewed other areas within the arena and found no evidence of structural distress and concluded that the facility is safe for public occupancy," the release continued.   

The city is now working on trying to remove the snow and ice that has accumulated on the layered roof.  

"It was determined that roof snow and ice be removed to reduce the loading on the roof structure," the release said.  

The arena will remain closed today to allow for safe snow removal from the roof.

Councillor Chris Mayne, Chair of Engineering, Environmental Services and Works indicated; “As a precaution, since there is more winter to come, we have decided to remove some snow from the roof. This precaution will also improve drainage from the roof as we enter spring,” said Mayne.  

City officals thanked the community for its patience.  

“The City appreciates and recognizes the inconveniences this has caused for our user groups, the North Bay Battalion, and the general public. Your continued patience is appreciated,” the Chair of Community Services, Councillor Johanne Brousseau stated in a release. 

Earlier today the city announced that West Ferris arena has been re-opened. That aging facility was shut down for a week while a new chill unit was installed.  The rink opened this morning.  

The re-opening will allow the North Bay Midget AAA Trappers to play game three of their best-of-five Great North Midget League final series against the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves on Saturday night.  

The Battalion will host the Peterborough Petes on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.