VIKING, Alta. – When the Viking Carena hockey rink burned down a year ago, the residents of the small Alberta town could do little more than watch.
“It was devastating. We stood there that night and were helpless,” said George Ritchie of Viking.
Within days, a decision was made to rebuild the arena. A committee was formed to talk to all the clubs in town to design a new hockey rink and a building that would be used by all the local groups.
“For the cost of the facility, we wanted something that would have year-round use,” said Viking mayor Garry Wolosinka.
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Plans were drawn up, quotes received, grant applications written and tenders taken.
The new multiplex centre would have a play school, library, indoor walking track, weight room, dance and tae-kwon-do area, meeting room and a hockey rink that could be changed to a curling surface for bonspiels or used for basketball in the summer.
With an initial $7.5-$8.5 million price tag, the project seemed workable. The town received $5 million from insurance and $2 million from the province toward the rebuilding project.
Community fundraising would raise the rest of the money for the multiplex. If they worked quickly they would only lose one season of hockey.
“It seemed very doable,” said Wolosinka.
Then Alberta’s construction boom hit Viking. The new cost to rebuild the facility was $11.3 million. Tenders were coming in hundreds of thousands of dollars over budget.
Fundraising slowed down as people saw the costs skyrocket and realized there wouldn’t be hockey or figure skating for a second season.
“The public is very concerned with the cost,” said Ritchie, a building and fundraising committee member.
“We thought we had that covered until we got some of the contracts back.”
With the help of construction experts, the committee went through every contract and eliminated anything that wasn’t necessary in the building. They also decided to delay development of anything other than the hockey rink, expected to be completed in 2007.
The play school, now in a building about to be condemned, would have to wait. The library, in the basement of the town office, would have to stay in the basement.
Community groups would have to continue meeting in church basements and school gymnasiums. The weight room and dance studio were put on hold.
The delayed projects will defer about $2 million in costs.
Lack of a hockey rink caused real hurt in the town of 1,052 people southeast of Edmonton, said Wolosinka.
Last season, the area’s keen hockey players and figure skaters joined clubs in surrounding towns. While the kids were on the ice, their parents bought their groceries, clothes and hardware in those towns.
With no tournaments or skating carnivals, visiting teams didn’t eat at the local restaurants, stay in the local hotels or shop at the stores.
“It had a huge impact on a lot of people. Nobody believed it would have that effect,” said Wolosinka.
“The rink was the hub of activity for the community. When word got out there wasn’t going to be hockey again, there was quite a letdown.”
Wolosinka believes the new multiplex facility will be the saviour for the community when it is scheduled to open next year for hockey season.
The original Viking arena was named the Carena when it was built in 1952 because of the car raffles held each month that raised $60,000 for its construction.
As rinks in small towns and villages across the Prairies age, few communities will be able to afford to rebuild. Having a $5 million insurance settlement from the fire was key to rebuilding.
Wolosinka believes Viking will be a recreation hub for a wider community once construction is complete.
“This facility will be the future of the town.”
