Construction on the new Cloverdale Arena complex is still on schedule, according to a recent report from the City of Surrey.
Corporate report R035 noted the wheels on the project would start rolling as soon as council approved an increase for expenditure authorization, which they did at a council meeting on Valentine’s Day.
“The intent of this report is to obtain council approval to increase the expenditure authorization limit … for the architectural design and construction administration services related to the Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex (the “Project”),” read the report to council.
Council re-approved the contract for the new Cloverdale arena in June, 2021, after site prep was done in 2017 and then the project was shelved for several years.
“Being part of the Surrey Invest Program, the Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex will provide two ice sheets with spectator seating supporting amenities space and site development to accommodate the need for a community ice arena in the city,” the report said.
The new rink design was adjusted because a set for the new TV series “Superman & Lois” was built on the Fairgrounds’ northeast corner. The Warner Bros production has leased the land for the next several years, which is a revenue generator for the city.
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As such, the arena project’s footprint needs to be reduced.
“Additional effort is required … to complete the design and construction administration services,” the report noted. “The additional services include providing few modified design concepts for the arena facility, value engineering, an updated site layout to accommodate current site conditions, and optimise land usage.”
The report explained the new rink will be more energy efficient, will have a simpler design structure, and will be able to accommodate an addition of two more ice sheets down the road, if needed.
“The Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex will accommodate the community’s needs for ice sports and programming, offering ice hockey, figure skating, public lessons, skating sessions, and dry-floor summer use for sports, such as lacrosse and ball hockey,” the report said.
The arena complex will also include some major site development at the Fairgrounds. A new road will be built as 177B Street will extend down from 64 Avenue and connect with both 62A Avenue and 62 Avenue. Two hundred parking spaces will also be added. “The offsite scope is being tendered now with the intention to start construction in March 2022 with completion in early Summer 2022.”
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As for the rink, the original design was developed in 2017-2018 with the intention to have a “strong architectural presence along 64 Avenue.”
However, the report said the ice sheets had to be repositioned on a smaller parcel of land, while attempting to retain some of the original design and configuration.
“Analysis indicated that the most feasible design option is to reconfigure the arena building to be more compacted with the two ice sheets side-by-side, instead of being in tandem, as per the original design concept, and to shift the building to the east towards the new roadway,” the report noted.
When first announced in June, 2021, the city said the arena would open in the fall or winter of 2023. However, the current report said the arena will open by early 2024.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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