Moncton council has approved spending $1.6 million to replace the Coliseum arena ice plant, a move expected to extend the rink's life for years to come.
Councillors voted unanimously Tuesday to award a contract for a new ice plant and cooling tower system to Cimco Refrigeration.
The work is expected to be carried out this summer and complete by Sept. 30.
The replacement follows a council decision in 2018 to continue operating the Coliseum after the downtown Avenir Centre arena opened.
That vote meant the Coliseum, previously home ice for the Moncton Wildcats hockey team, transitioned to a mainly recreational sports or trade show floor space.
The Coliseum, off Killam Drive, opened in the mid-1970s. It's one of four city-owned arenas.
The complex has three large exhibition halls attached to the 7,200-seat arena, along with meeting rooms and a restaurant. During the pandemic the building was used as a COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinic.
Alcide Richard, Moncton's director of facilities, said the new ice equipment should last about 25 years.
"We're going to be able to rely on the ice plant and not have equipment that could have broken down in the middle of a of a season," Richard said in an interview after the vote.
"So the plan is to get that work done throughout the summer and be ready for the ice rentals."
No information was available Tuesday evening on how often the ice surface is in use.
Moncton deputy mayor Bryan Butler called the Coliseum an important part of the area he represents.
"[It's] very well used," Butler said Tuesday. "Whenever there's no trade shows going on, that certainly is being rented out."
A February 2021 staff report to council says the ice surface operated with a net loss of $198,022 in 2017-18, $31,484 in 2018-19 and $22,847 in 2019-20.
Councillors were told in 2018 and again in 2021 that keeping the Coliseum complex open for another 20 years would require more than $16 million in renovations and upgrades.
Replacement of the ice plant at the time of that report was estimated to cost $1.1 million.
