Engagement process to determine the future of recreational facilities – Nelson News

The future of three of Nelson’s recreational facilities is a matter of public opinion as the city faces a mounting bill for repairs to the aging buildings.

The Civic Center, Civic Arena and football facility were built in 1935 and the curling rink in 1973, but these facilities will require multi-million dollar investments in the coming years.

An upcoming Nelson and Area Recreation Commission engagement process will be an opportunity for Nelson residents to have a say in the future of those indoor recreation buildings in the city, with details of the engagement process to be released in the coming days, said Dauna Ditson, communications coordinator for the city, in a press release.

The process will provide an update on city-owned recreational facilities ahead of a joint engagement process – led by the Nelson and District Recreation Commission – commencing in November, with a focus on the future of recreation in Nelson.

The city has conducted initial structural and geotechnical studies on the Civic Center, Civic Arena and Curling Rink, Ditson said, and the answers are not good.

“Each of these assessments identified an urgent need for significant investment,” she said. “While the city has not yet completed a detailed assessment of the indoor soccer facility, it may also require similar investments.”

The new information about the facilities means the city must take action now, but with a plan, Mayor Janice Morrison said.

“Before we make any decisions about further investments in these aging facilities, we would like to hear residents’ hopes for recreational opportunities in our community,” she said in the news release.

Seven years ago, the city mapped the condition of each building, generating a recommended necessary action for each structure, and in the meantime performed capital maintenance on each structure – an average of $200,000 per year, as well as another $1.4 million in capital improvements . Ditson said.

In 2023 and 2024, the city hired consultants to conduct detailed structural investigations of the facilities that revealed major structural deficiencies. The first project to emerge from that process is now underway at the Civic Center, spending $5.3 million on structural repairs and seismic and energy upgrades.

In addition, the Nelson Civic Theater Society (NCTS) will invest $4.2 million in the transition to a three-screen cinema.

Civic Center

Emergency roof repairs and energy and seismic upgrades are nearing completion at the Civic Center, including required seismic work at the Civic Arena.

The work is taking place concurrently as the facilities were built together in 1935 and share a common wall. The work will help the Civic Center meet current snow load and seismic building code requirements and increase energy efficiency.

Civic Arena

The Civic Arena will require additional roof repairs at a later date.

A structural assessment of the Civic Arena, completed in the summer of 2024, identified the need to increase the strength of the existing roof structure to meet snow loads.

The initial structural design has been completed to address the structural deficiencies. In the meantime, a snow monitoring program will be in place for the winter that could lead to additional closures.

Curling rink

The city conducted an initial structural assessment and geotechnical assessment of the curling center in the summer of 2024, which revealed issues with the foundation, walls and roof structure.

As with the Civic Center and Civic Arena, the roof structure will need to be reinforced to accommodate the snow load. Due to these deficiencies, this facility is currently closed.

Indoor football facility

A structural review will be completed in 2025.