The curling rink stairs that have become substantially unstable and have been in serious need of repair, won’t be reconstructed until next year.
The new stairs that were supposed to have been completed this year by September but it was delayed due to Covid. After several delays, when the contractor was finally ready to start work on the project and sought a building permit, he discovered that the building inspectors are changing how the Architects Act is interpreted which means it would prevent the build permits would no longer be issued to commercial projects without the approval of an architect on the drawings.
The plans received by the staff were signed off by an engineer but an architect was not involved with the approval process, nor was it required at that point.
In the future, the village will have to bring in an architect to sign in on any building projects no matter the size. The village is now looking for quotes from architects for the curling rink reconstruction project.
The plans for the renovation of the stairs were started in 2019 and the project was included in the 2020 budget.
Village of Burns Lake CAO Sheryl Worthing said that while the project has been delayed, it won’t change anything for the curling rink users.
“We will continue to use the stairs we have and the elevator lift until the stair project is done next spring,” she said.
While the other ice users have already started getting out on the ice, the Burns Lake Curling Club is expected to start using the curling rink, from Nov. 1 and league curling will begin mid-November. Mixed Curling League with the club will be held every Wednesday and Thursday at 7 pm. Men’s 8 and Women’s 6 week leagues will be starting in January.
For more information or registration, please call Randy or Carren Wilson at 250-692-3471 or Lori at 250-692-3294.
