Upgrades coming to Grunthal Arena

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This article was published 12/02/2024 (451 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grunthal Arena is set to get modernized as design plans for the upgrade have been released.

The arena will see four new dressing rooms, a new lobby, a new canteen, as well as some electrical system upgrades in order to meet today’s building codes. There will be no changes to the rink other than making the washrooms more accessible, according to Coun. Curtis Dawydiuk.

“(The arena) is very important. It’s definitely the hub of winter activities. Grunthal minor hockey program is stronger and growing. It’s bounced back post COVID. When you have a facility like this even though it’s aging it’s very important to keep it. When you start losing facilities in communities then (the communities) start to go backwards and regress. It’s important that we take care of that which we have,” he said.

The arena is 56 years old.

Dawydiuk estimates the cost of the renovations will be between $4 and $4.5 million. The arena will expand by 9,300 square feet.

Funding for the arena will be divided between local fundraising, the municipality, and the federal and provincial governments.

“We do not have (any funding) confirmed at this point but there has been some interest already, which is exciting to see,” said Dawydiuk.

Dawydiuk hopes to see construction begin in 2026 but that’s all dependent on funding.

The RM of Hanover is also looking at starting a steering committee for the arena. The committee will be responsible for initiating a fundraising campaign, gather feedback about the facility and inform the community throughout the design process. Anyone who is interested in being a part of the committee should contact Dawydiuk.