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New date for postponed Battalion game

The arena was declared closed after cracked drywall was discovered, and a structural engineer inspected the building Friday
2017-02-26 Hounds vs Battalion DMH-12
North Bay Battalion.

With the City of North Bay indicating that Memorial Gardens will reopen Saturday, the North Bay Battalion will play its Ontario Hockey League game against the visiting Peterborough Petes at 2 p.m. Sunday as scheduled, the club has announced.

The game against the Barrie Colts that was postponed Thursday night will be played at 7 p.m. Tuesday, the club said Friday.

The arena was declared closed after cracked drywall was discovered, and a structural engineer inspected the building Friday, after which it was announced that it will reopen at 7 a.m. Saturday.

“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,” city engineer John Severino said in a news release.

“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.

“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.

“Due to the substantial volume of snow and ice that has been retained on the roof over this winter period, it was determined that roof snow and ice be removed to reduce the loading on the roof structure. This afternoon the site will remain closed to operationally allow for the safe removal of the snow from the roof.”

Councillor Johanne Brousseau, chair of community services, said the city “appreciates and recognizes the inconvenience this has caused for our user groups, the North Bay Battalion, and the general public.”

“Your continued patience is appreciated.”

The Battalion was to visit the Oshawa Generals at 7:35 p.m. Friday.