Volunteers fix up arena
News
Posted 1 month ago
Richard Saad
Standard Reporter
Two weeks ago, on July 15, Encana representatives donated a $20,000 cheque to the Agricultural Society in an effort to offset the costs of the renovating and rebuilding the hockey arena in Standard.
On hand at the cheque presentation Thursday were the president of the Agricultural Society Perry Ellis, who received the cheque on behalf of Standard Arena from Encana community relations advisor Luigi Vescarelli.
According to Ellis, the total cost of the renovations was approximately $200,000. Getting the $20,000 from Encana goes a long way to offset the costs.
"It was greatly appreciated," said Ellis. "I was surprised at Encana's generosity, especially considering the state of the economy. Everything is appreciated, no matter if it was $1 or $20,000."
For Vescarelli, donating the money on behalf of Encana was a way of showing their appreciation for the importance of the arena and its relationship with the community of Standard.
"We (Encana) have been operators in the area for many years," said Vescarelli, who has been with the company since 1983. "It was simply the right thing to do and we wanted to be there for the people of Standard."
Vescarelli went on to add that the company wanted to donate money for a project that was tangible and accessible to the people directly. When the request was made by the Agricultural Society for donations, Encana jumped at the opportunity to help out.
Last year, renovations to the arena began in earnest after it was revealed that wood along the players' boxes and the wall on one side of the arena was rotting due to water damage. Nearly a third of the boards had to be removed and fixed. Considering the arena was built in the 1970s, it was time for the upgrade, notes Ellis.
As a result, the Agricultural Society, with volunteers from the community of Standard, spent the better part of six months of renovating the arena and outfitting it with NHL-quality boards.
Ellis estimated that almost 2,000 volunteer hours contributed to the renovations, which were done on the weekends and involved people from Standard.
The replaced boards were designed and bought from Sports Systems, a company that specializes in producing NHL-ready boards and equipment for major league arenas.
As the arena is used quite extensively throughout the hockey season by teams from Standard, Strathmore and the surrounding area, players have responded well to the new look and are happy with the improvements.
"The teams from all over the area were really impressed," said Ellis, adding that one of the major changes to the arena was moving the players' benches from one side to the other side, putting them closer to the fans.
"This is a gathering place for the community and everyone wanted to make sure it kept going for a long time," said Ellis.
