The ice may be out of the Hay River Curling Club, but that doesn’t mean the building will be sitting idle over the summer.
The town’s recreation department has installed a new temporary multi-sport floor on the curling club’s main surface and it’s now in full use.
Stephane Millette, the town’s director of recreation, said the floor is a modular synthetic surface and can accommodate almost anything.
“The flooring includes lines for badminton, pickleball, volleyball and two half-courts for basketball,” he said. “That said, it’s a temporary indoor gym surface and it can be used for most indoor sports.”
Millette said he wasn’t able to disclose how much the flooring cost or where it came from because it was done through a request for proposals process and the town doesn’t typically make those results public.
He did say that the floor was bought using third-party funds and that a total of four bids were received by the town.
As for the length of time the flooring will be laid out, Millette said the curling club’s ice is typically removed between mid-to-late March and will stay out until around September.
“Department of Recreation staff and Hay River Curling Club representatives have a very good working relationship,” he said. “Some coordination will be required annually, but the end of Hay River’s ice season typically aligns with the schools’ spring break.”
Right now, the town’s recreation department is handling all of the planning and co-ordination of programming, said Millette, but the court is open to groups who would like to rent it out.
He also said the introduction of the sport court is another way people in town can stay active during what’s known as the “shoulder season”.
“Youth and adults of all ages make use of the equipment to stay active at a time of year when outdoor activities can be limited by unpredictable weather and snowy and /or wet conditions of local greenspaces and sport fields,” he said. “Students make use of the equipment at lunch hour and after school (and) recreation department staff believe these initiatives help build active lifestyles and help improve the health of the community.”
You can visit the recreation department’s Facebook page if you’d like to see a sped-up version of the floor’s installation.
—By Amanda Rumbolt