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.
The Whitney Forum will be receiving a better, and safer, floor in the next few weeks. Work has already started on the walking track to improve the rubber. Safety issues from the previous flooring has the Whitney Forum staff replacing the rubber with a new sports rubber. It will improve safety as well as provide a more enjoyable walk, says Whitney Forum manager Guy (Beasty) Rideout. The previous floor, which has been removed in preparation for the new flooring, came to the Whitney Forum in the form of a donation from the Kinsmen Club in 1995. Eighteen years later and plenty of foot traffic, the Whitney Forum is ready for a new look. The previous flooring was beginning to curl and separate as it became lose, said Rideout. 'This (new floor) is a sports rubber. It's durable and will be glued in place,' said Rideout, compared to the previous flooring that came in sections. The manager says the new flooring should create less tripping as well as a better wear pattern. 'It's just a more durable product,' he said. The improved walking track will benefit the community of all ages, Rideout said. 'I think we'll get more people walking,' he said. The Whitney Forum will be selling logo inserts into the rubber flooring to help offset the cost of the approximate $60,000 price tag. In addition to the new flooring on the walking track, patrons will also notice new tiled flooring in the main entrance of the Whitney Forum. Before the ice is put in at the Whitney Forum Rideout also hopes to have a new drawbridge style walkway completed for the Zamboni entrance. Currently, the Zamboni drives under the walkway, but before the end of the summer Rideout hopes to see the walkway opening to accommodate larger vehicles that need to enter the Whitney Forum. 'The projects will be complete and the ice will be started after the long weekend in August,' Rideout says, though understanding unforeseen circumstances may arise. Rideout hopes 'as funds grow we can continue flooring projects such as the dressing rooms and the entrance.'
