A rink without ice: Charlottetown Curling Club closed until at least new year

The Charlottetown Curling Club has a problem: they're a curling club that can't make ice.

The facility was planning to open in November but then discovered an issue with its ice plant, the piece of machinery that freezes the water. It had a problem with the same part last year, but this year the club was told it was beyond repair.

"We were initially optimistic we could fix the problem, but after a little bit further digging, it became apparent that the problem is beyond the point of fixing," said club president Tyler Harris.

"The earliest we can hope to open is in January, if everything aligns properly. That's going to be getting the ice plant sourced and installed by then."

No easy fixes

The club is considering two options: to replace the broken part, which Harris said would cost in the $80,000 range, or replace the ice plant entirely, which he said would be in the $250,000 range.

"Our ice plant was replaced in 1990, so it's 31 years old. The recommended lifespan for an ice plant is right about 30 years ... we're faced with having to decide if we're going to invest in this facility and how much we're going to invest in it."

Harris said ice plant technology has come a long way since 1990. Systems are now built in such a way that they can be moved, giving the club options without binding them to another three decades in the facility.

"We're currently in the process of making some decisions on how we move forward, what we fix and what we don't," Harris said.

"We're currently getting quotes to go both ways and hopefully we'll have those soon and have a better idea of exactly how much money we have to raise to get this fixed up."

'If not January ... next fall'

The club will be launching a fundraising campaign to pay for the repairs.

"We're mobilizing our membership and mobilizing the community, reaching out to partners and whatnot. This is a challenge that we may not be able to resolve on our own. The numbers are quite big," the president said.

"We hope to keep members engaged throughout the season and, you know, have a facility ready for January or if not January, we have a facility ready for next fall."

Harris said the turn of events is particularly disappointing in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The club had to cancel some events in late March and April and then closed for the season as it regularly would.

Despite ongoing restrictions, the club was projecting a good year.

"Curling lends itself reasonably well to physically distancing," said Harris.

"With golf having had such a good year in the summer, we were quite optimistic that we could have a good year curling as well."

Harris said they would have been able to have 50 people at a time, and "thought that was going to be a pretty big benefit for us."

Harris said members and curlers have been understanding of the predicament and are supportive of the board.

"It's a friendly, very open place," he said. "We did about as best as we could with what we had."

More from CBC P.E.I.