The Town of Rocky Mountain House is moving quickly to start repair work at the Empringham Disposal Arena, approving just over $80,000 in funding for work following concerns about the building’s roof.
At its July 2 meeting, town council passed a motion to allocate $80,431 from the Capital Infrastructure Reserve to cover the cost of further assessment and restoration design work. The decision follows an inspection that identified areas of concern in the roof truss system of the aging arena, with the town urged to act before the start of the 2025-26 hockey season.
Acting Mayor Len Phillips says one needn’t look any further than urgent issues identified at the nearby curling rink.
“It’s better that we get ahead of these types of repairs, instead of waiting for them to become such an issue that [facilities] get shut down,” said Phillips during the meeting.
In an interview with 94.5 Rewind Radio News, Rocky Curling Club president Richard Bonneau cited between $1 million and $1.2 million in total necessary repairs, including work on the wood trusses and deteriorating asphalt roof— but emphasized it’s too early to make an accurate estimate.
Wood Research and Development was contracted earlier this year to conduct an inspection of both the arena and the curling rink.
The total cost of the preliminary arena work is $69,940, with a 15 per cent contingency added, bringing the total budget request to $80,431.
Administration will also ask Clearwater County to cover half the cost through a cost-sharing agreement.
In the meantime, town council has submitted a letter to the Rocky Curling Club to support its bid for a Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP), and committing $100,000 for the necessary building repairs.
The Rocky Curling Club is set to appear before council at a later date this summer.
Empringham Disposal was announced as the name sponsor for the arena surface in a June 20, 2025 announcement.
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