Penticton outdoor ice rink proponent asks public for more cash

Drew Barnes, president of the Activate Penticton Society, said it broke ground on Sept. 10, but the group has run into some unexpected cost pressures.

Residents and visitors to the city of Penticton will be able to lace up their skates and hit the ice at a new outdoor rink under construction this Christmas, but the proponent behind the rink is asking the public for more donations to complete the full scope of the project.

Drew Barnes, president of the Activate Penticton Society, said it broke ground on Sept. 10, but the group has run into some unexpected cost pressures.

“It’s a very difficult site being so close to the water but we are past that now and we are back up to sub-slab grade and we are running some of the services like water, sewer and electrical,” Barnes said.

“We had planned for a typical foundation construction but we had to over excavate quite a bit to get rid of some organics that we didn’t anticipate so our excavation was two or three times the amount that we thought it was going to be from our preliminary investigations.”

Barnes added that building costs have also skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everything has gone up, from concrete, softwood, plumbing fixtures, electrical supplies, everything has increased and that’s reflected in our request for more money,” he said.

The city’s first outdoor skating rink is privately financed by local donors and the group will operate under a license to use the city-owned land.

Barnes said a local anonymous donor has promised to match up to $200,000, so the society hopes to raise $400,000 through its renewed fundraising campaign.