A request from Raft Mountain Skating Club for new backdrop curtains for the North Thompson Sportsplex got the nod Dec. 17 from Clearwater town council.
Council voted to support spending up to $10,000 to purchase the curtains.
Of this, $1,000 would come from the skate club, while another $5,000 possibly would be provided by a grant from Wells Gray Community Forest.
The recommendation to go ahead with the purchase came from the Joint Services Committee, which looks after services, such as the Sportsplex, that are jointly provided by the municipality and Wells Gray Country (Area A) of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
As such, the $10,000 would be shared between District of Clearwater and Area A.
Council approves new dehumidifier
A recommendation from the Joint Services Committee that a new dehumidifier be purchased for the curling rink also received approval.
There was some discussion about how viable the Wells Gray Curling Club will be in the long term, because of declining membership.
However, chief administrative officer Leslie Groulx pointed out that the dehumidifier unit also would be usable for the hockey arena.
The two units in arena are already past their expected life spans.
“If we don’t use it in the curling rink, we could use it in the hockey arena,” she said.
Lack of a working dehumidifier means staff must shave the ice once a week, sometimes working overtime.
This costs about $80 per week. Cost of a new dehumidifier would be between $10,000 and $17,000.
A central dehumidifier system would cost about $140,000, Groulx said.
A maintenance company has offered to look at the existing dehumidifier in the curling rink and see if it can be repaired, she noted.
Councillor Ken Kjenstad spoke in favor of buying a new unit for the curling club.
“It might or might not be a dying club but if they don't have good ice it will die for sure,” he said.