Club members in the curling hotbed of Biggar were given some bad news back at the end of September.
The 2023-2024 curling season could be in jeopardy after structural damage was reported inside the Biggar Curling Rink. Members of the club were preparing this year's plans for Town Council, when serious damage was noted during an assessment of the rink that same afternoon.
"They had one of our local contractors stop by the rink and take a look at possible repairs on a few shingles," said Rickwood.
The roof inspection led to a lot more.
"They noticed some inconsistencies with the walls. They looked into it a little bit further and noted some structural damage."
Those findings were shared at the council meeting that same night. The Town has since been in contact with insurance providers and engineers to figure out the next step. The waiting game is the only card they have.
"We are doing the investigation. We are seeing what the state of the building is, whether it is stable, repairable, and so-on-and-so-forth." he shared.
Until that report is completed, Rickwood and his team's hands are tied.
"We can't proceed with authorizing safety for a curling season. We can't say that it's not repairable, we can't say that it is repairable." shared the mayor with the situation in limbo. "We do have orange tape around the building right now so people don't go in and do their own investigations."
Biggar Mayor Jim Rickwood says they won't be making any decisions on the facility until after all of the information has been released (File Photo)The rink's status has been a hot topic for Town residents. The Biggar Curling Club set up shop next door to the Biggar Jubilee Stadium back in 1961, and many are wondering what this recent news means for the longstanding building.
"There's a lot of misconception out there on what is actually going on. Some have the building already ripped down, and that it's up to the Town to provide a new rink." said Rickwood. "We have to wait until that investigation is done."
Safety is clearly the number one priority for now, but figuring out solutions for a curling craved community like Biggar comes a close number two for Rickwood. The sport has been a staple in the community for years, and the mayor is one of the many who wants that legacy preserved.
"In it's hay-day that building saw two draws every night, all week. Bonspiels once or twice a month." he said in recalling the rich history of curling in Biggar. "We pumped through a lot of curlers through there."
While Rickwood didn't want to completely axe the possibility of curling in Biggar this season, he touted Perdue and Landis as two nearby clubs welcoming in members. The situation remains fluid.
"Best-case-scenario maybe things will be repairable and we will have a part-season. Who knows what the worst-case-scenario is. We don't even want to think about that. We want to leave our options open until we hear from our engineer."
Thu, Jun 27, 1:30 PM
