Hamiota ‘raising the roof’ for arena
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The Hamiota & District Sports Complex is hosting a concert this evening as a fundraiser to repair leaks in the arena’s roof.
The “Raise the Roof” concert featuring Elkhorn country artist Kendra Kay has a goal of bringing in $15,000 on top of about $35,000 previously raised in sponsorships and donations, said Ryan Tolton, president and board chair of the sports complex.
“We look forward to the event, and how it’s gonna, you know, help towards the project going forward,” he said.
Ryan Tolton, president and board chairman of the Hamiota & District Sports Complex, stands outside the complex on Thursday. The community is holding a fundraising concert tonight featuring musicians Kendra Kay, Edson Andan and Morgan Péloquin to raise money to repair the arena roof. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
Tolton said as the 35-year-old building ages, staff have noticed leaks affecting the four sheets of curling ice and skating arena.
“Employees usually go up in the summer and try to patch the holes that they can to the best that they can, but … as everything kind of ages, things need to either be … repaired professionally or eventually replaced,” he said.
The spring snowmelt and heavy downpours cause water to enter the arena from the roof, pool on the ice surface and create bumps, Tolton said.
“We’ve had bonspiels where you can only run three sheets, because (with) one of the sheets … you get halfway through a game and the bumps (come) back even after you scrape it before,” he said.
The women’s washroom near the skating rink also has issues with water leaking from the roof.
“It is kind of coming in and starting to create a little bit of a havoc inside,” Tolton said.
The sports complex was built in 1991 and cost $2.1 million. Tolton said he’s unsure how much it would cost to fix the roof at this time, but he expects repairs won’t start until next summer.
In the past six years that he has been on the board, staff have known the roof would eventually require larger repairs. In the meantime, employees have been patching areas with tar and getting quotes from companies that could fix it.
“I think at this time we’re starting to get to the point that that’s just a Band-Aid,” he said.
LeeAnn Haggarty was a key organizer of tonight’s fundraising concert for the Hamiota & District Sports Complex. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
The building has a capacity of about 2,000 people.
Tickets for the concert cost $50 and are available at Rawlings Home Hardware.
Kay will be the headliner, with opening acts Edson Andan and Morgan Péloquin.
The doors open at 6:30 p.m.
» tadamski@brandonsun.com