The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer The Whitney Forum recently underwent repairs and upgrades not only to save money, but also to extend the life of the facility. The building, best known for hosting the Junior Bombers, is now equipped with a heat recovery system as well as dehumidifiers. Reusing the heat that had been released outside, the arena's heat recovery unit will begin producing savings as soon as this fall. Guy (Beastie) Rideout, arena manager, says the real difference will come in January, when the heavier cold sets in; however, the savings will begin once the system is turned on. The heat recovery unit will remain off until it is needed. "...last year, it was Remembrance Day before it really got cold and we needed heat in the building," said Rideout. "We'll see a value from then until we take the ice out." After roughly 12 years of trying for the heat recovery unit, Rideout's request was passed. The City of Flin Flon offered $300,000 while a Community Places grant generated $5,000. Heat recovery The heat recovery project came in at $230,000, while the dehumidifiers carried a tab of $65,000. Walking into the Whitney Forum, there won't be a difference for patrons as far as the heat system goes, but the visual difference of the dehumidifiers is evident. Typically, the arena has fogged glass, wet and dripping ceilings and yellow ice. Today, the Forum boasts dry ceilings, white ice and clear glass. After more than a decade of hoping for the two projects, Rideout says the systems themselves have improved drastically in that time. "The dehumidifiers that they were producing then...they have made them more efficient," said Rideout. "Energy wise, they pull more moisture faster." Rideout, who has been at the Whitney Forum for more than two decades, says it's "crazy the amount of moisture you can pull out of a building this size." Rideout says, with a laugh, one very notable difference for spectators will be not having to bring an umbrella to watch a hockey game. "It gets rid of the drips, which makes it easier for us to make ice," said City of Flin Flon Recreation Manager Mike Dubreuil. "We don't have to chip those drips off the ice and it helps to make cleaner ice." Water dripping off the ice not only brings more liquid to the ice surface, but Dubreuil says "you're getting all sorts of rust and dirt that gets dripped into the ice." Humidity The humidity had taken a toll on the condition of the ice, but both Dubreuil and Rideout agree there is a significant difference already. "The other benefiting factor is, when you look at the wood beams that are holding the roof up and all the metal, you're now taking the corrosion factor out of it," said Dubreuil. "You're reducing the wear and tear on the facility. "You're decreasing your overall costs and increasing the overall life span of the facility." Rideout says in the 22 years he has been at the Whitney Forum, the ice laid this week is the best he's ever seen. "There's times when I've seen it really nice, but then you come out to 1,000 drips in the morning and that two hours of glory and staring at it is gone," he said. "This is the best I've ever seen it." The city expects the projects to pay for themselves in savings within five to seven years.
