Whitehorse Daily Star

New arena for Carmacks out for tender; lots of interest expressed

The tender is out for the first indoor arena in the community of Carmacks,

By Chuck Tobin on July 11, 2018

The tender is out for the first indoor arena in the community of Carmacks, the only one of the eight incorporated Yukon communities without one.

While the project has been on the books for months, the tender wasn’t released until June 27, pending confirmation of the federal government’s 75-per-cent share of the funding.

It closes July 26.

The online tender management system is showing that more than 100 construction companies, engineering firms, suppliers and sub-contractors from the Yukon and across Western Canada have expressed an interest in the project.

There’s been interest expressed from as far away as Boston and Chicago.

Completion is scheduled for late summer 2020.

In an interview this spring, Carmacks Mayor Lee Bodie described the new arena as a godsend for his community of 550 or so residents.

Bodie explained it will give Carmacks an indoor heated facility with artificial ice that can be converted in a day to a curling club with three sheets of ice and then back to a skating rink in another day.

It will give Carmacks a facility in which it can hold indoor functions all-year-round, just like they do in other communities, the mayor said.

The Yukon government is not releasing the estimated budget.

When asked by the Star if he’d heard the number $14 million just as the Star had, the mayor said he had.

He said the figure initially was in the range of $7.5 million, then jumped to between $10 million and $11 million. Bodie confirmed most recently he heard talk of the $14 million estimate.

He said he’s seen the architect’s rendition, and it’s a beautiful facility.

The community’s curling rink was torn down in the last couple of months as it was deemed safe. The outdoor skating rink with a covered roof was condemned several years ago because of shifting ground conditions, and the steel structure was also dismantled recently.

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