First phase of rink delayed
The covered rink project, the new multisport and multipurpose surface on the grounds of the Kahnawake Sports Complex, is pausing construction for the winter as the weather is making things prohibitively difficult in terms of time and cost.
“The last four years, we had mild winters. We were kind of hopeful that we would receive the same type of winter this year. Anytime we gamble against Mother Nature, she’s going to win every single time,” said Roiatate Horn, director of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK)’s Sports and Recreation Unit.
After a meeting with the funders, it was decided that the budget for the first phase would be extended to the end of June 2025, from the original due date of March of this year - and without needing additional funds.
“The funding terms stated that we needed to have the project delivered by March 31. After visiting the site, the funders stated that the fund was able to be pushed for an additional three months to ensure proper workmanship and all the stuff is done. We’re still working with the same budget that we have, we are solely receiving an extension in terms of timeline,” said Horn.
While they did get a three-month extension, Horn said that if spring comes with a quick thaw, the first phase of the project should not actually take until June to complete.
“Speaking with our contractors, roughly 70 to 85 percent of the work is done already,” said Horn, meaning that the first phase should be ready for lacrosse in the late spring and early summer.
In contrast to previous years, where Kahnawake did not receive a substantial amount of snowfall until mid-to-late January, the first significant accumulation this year was in early December, and apart from an important thaw during the holidays, the cold and the snow have remained.
“You’re going to get more juice out of the lemon if you’re working under the ideal temperature. For example, once the snow came in, productivity dropped. It’s not a knock on the contractors at all, because if we get snow overnight or during the day, we’re losing anywhere from two to three hours of work just for snow clearing, and we’re still paying the workers for that work,” said Horn.
He said that the snow and cold are very real impediments to the project on a technical level as well.
“It’s especially a factor for all that tedious testing that needs to be done with the pressure testing of the refrigeration pipes and then the testing of the concrete,” said Horn.
He said that the pipe pressure testing can be inaccurate in subzero temperatures, and that once the pipes are in place under the concrete, it is a very big inconvenience to go back and fix them if there’s an issue.
Speaking of concrete, while testing is a factor like for the pipes, the cost of heating up the concrete to allow for a good pour was not worth it for the Sports and Recreation Unit.
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“When it comes to the added cost of heating a 200-foot by 85-foot slab of concrete, it’s something that we looked at in terms of budget, and it wasn’t ideal,” said Horn.
While there is short term pain with the delay, Horn said that long-term, it will be better for the project to wait for the weather to warm up.
“We want to make sure our deliverables are there for a lifetime. We don’t want to make something that’s going to break down in the next five,10 years, because we push through the weather,” said Horn. “We’re excited to deliver a product that the community has wanted for nearly two decades, and we’re making sure that we do it right.”
