Officials have announced the partial reopening of the Taber Community Centre following an explosion in December 2025 that caused significant damage to the hockey rinks and curling club. The Town of Taber says it has received results of asbestos testing at the facility confirming which areas of the building that are safe to reopen. “It’s identified what we’re calling green zones, yellow zones and red zones,” explained Town of Taber chief administrative officer Derrin Thibault. “Green is safe for public use, yellow still requires asbestos abatement and the red zone will require significant cleanup and repairs.” The auditorium, the Taber Chamber of Commerce, Tank 77 Museum, Bodymasters Gym and Archery Range are all part of the ‘green zone’ and will reopen around March 1. “There are a few things that need to be cleaned up in there and proper abatement [needs to be] done, which is why we’ve set a tentative date,” Thibault told CTV News. “We don’t want to have a drop-dead date until we know for certain.” “This is a nice first step to getting the centre back up and running.” All arena areas, the curling club and some meeting rooms will remain closed. But Thibault says the large ice surface may be able to reopen as early as Aug. 1, ahead of the next hockey season. “There does come a tipping point where everyone is like, ‘Okay, what are we doing now?’ So this is trying to provide a little projection as to what were doing now, showing that things were happening in the background,” Thibault said. “We weren’t sitting around waiting and doing nothing.” The community centre was shuttered after an explosion on Dec. 17, 2025. The town’s investigation revealed the explosion was caused by a failure of a component within the fuel system of the Zamboni, which created a gas cloud within the ice resurfacer room and across the small ice surface. The explosion was not the result of human error. Though there were about a dozen people inside the centre at the time, no one was injured. Thibault says while they have a reopening plan ready, ongoing cleanup and repair work is continuing throughout the entire space. The town still doesn’t know the total cost of damage, saying the insurance process is ongoing. “Once we have those details and a clear understanding of costs, Taber town council will be able to make an informed decision and talk with Taberites about what next in the future of the community centre,” said Mayor Andrew Prokop. While the timeline is fluid, the town is asking residents to remain patient as they work to welcome the public back. “This is not going to be a sprint; it’s a marathon,” Thibault said. In the meantime, the town has submitted a nomination for this year’s Kraft Hockeyville challenge, and is asking for residents to support the submission.
