City decides not to replace Fairview Arena following roof collapse last year

Fairview Arena will not be rebuilt Shaun Frenette reports on the decision to not rebuild the Fairview Arena and explores the future plans of the Indefinite Arts Centre

An arena in the southeast that was closed after the roof collapsed last year will not be reopened at its current location and the city says it will now work with its stakeholders to determine what to do with the site.

A section of the roof above the rink at the Fairview Arena and Community Hall caved in on February 20, 2018.

No one was injured in the incident and the building was closed to the public.

An inspection was conducted at the facility and a report that was presented to the city last week showed that there were a number of factors that could have contributed to the roof’s collapse.

The city has not said specifically what those factors are but did say that it has asked for more assessment to be done.

The arena was built in 1970 and the Acting Director of Calgary Recreation, James McLaughlin, said in a release that new arenas now have multi-sheets of ice and that the site on Fairmount Drive S.E. can’t accommodate that size of facility.

The city owns 41 arenas and inspectors conducted visual assessments at all of them after the Fairview roof collapsed.

Officials say they didn’t find any issues that needed immediate attention and that all city-owned facilities are checked on an ongoing basis.

The hall that was home to the Indefinite Arts Centre was attached to the arena and shared utilities with the facility.

The art program was displaced for several months and operated temporarily out of the Shane Homes YMCA before it was allowed to return to Fairview last July.

The group posted a statement on its Facebook page on Wednesday saying that it still shares a number of components with the old arena and that it has concerns about safety.

They say they have completed a business plan to rebuild the facility but they are waiting for government approval and to see if the project will receive provincial support.

McLaughlin says the city will work with its community partners to ensure their needs and future plans are also met.

He says arena studies will be updated to look at the needs of the community and that the city will consult residents and stakeholders on the future of the site.