Bayplex area to get $10 million upgrade, new name

Bayplex arena set to receive facelift. Glace Bay’s only arena will receive a $10 million renovation, and a new name. CTV’s Jonathan MacInnis reports.

GLACE BAY, N.S. - After more than a year of sitting empty, the arena in Glace Bay, N.S. is one step closer to reopening again after the municipality deemed the building unsafe and shut it down.

“Well I hope the naysayers are put to bed now. We always got that it was never going to open again, it was going to be shut down using CBU and Dominion and there would be no more Bayplex,” said CBRM Councilor George MacDonald.

The total cost of repairs will total around 10 million dollars and will be shared amongst all three levels of government.

“It was up to the community to figure out what suited them best and they thought this major renovation would be the best way forward, so the province supported that so we are happy to partner with the province, said Liberal MP, Rodger Cuzner.

President of Glace Bay minor hockey, James Edwards, and his association have had to find a new home after the closure. He says the move has been seamless, but they will still be happy to be back on familiar ice.

“It’s our rink. Glace Bay is our home. The kids are from Glace Bay, and as good as Dominion and CBU were to us, we’re all looking forward to coming back to the Glace Bay Miners Forum.

The Bayplex replaced the former Glace Bay Miners Forum that was constructed by miners at the time. As part of the renovation it will return to its former name.

The original completion date for the project was September of next year, but it is unclear if officials will be able to hit that mark.

CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke says it’s about getting the job done right.

“We said we are not going to rush this. People talked about design flaws in the past and we’re going to correct those flaws and make improvements that are going to last the next couple of generations,” he said.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.