Repairs could delay Petes season

$2.5M in repairs planned next year at PMC now expected to take 16 weeks instead of 12 weeks

Memorial Centre floor repairs next summer will take longer than expected and could delay the start of the 2019-20 Peterborough Petes season to Nov. 1.

When city council approved the project last year the timetable was about 12 weeks.

New community services commissioner Allan Seabrooke said engineers now suggest the work will take 16 weeks and advise a contingency plan of an additional three weeks in case of delays.

Additionally, Seabrooke said it won’t be possible to start the work as soon as the 2018-19 Petes season ends. No one can predict when that might be and he says contractors want firm dates so the city selected June 1, 2019.

“We’re hoping to get the work done within 16 weeks and we’ve allocated another three weeks of contingency onto that,” hesaid.

The furthest the Petes could play is mid-May. Seabrooke said arena staff then need two weeks to prepare the facility for contractors.

Next season the Petes have eight home games prior to Nov. 1 which in 2019-20 would have to be made up later in the season.

Petes president Dave Pogue said it’s his understanding the dates are still fluid but they know their schedule will be impact much like renovations in 2003.

“The reported timelines seem to be somewhat of a moving target,” Pogue said.

“The extra time may be part of their contingency plan. More will be known when the tenders go out and the contractors come in.”

The Petes have to provide available dates to the OHL by early January each year to start building a schedule so they need firm dates, Pogue said.

“We’re all sharing in the hurt of this and the job has to be done so it is what it is,” Pogue said. “We’ll work with the timelines that are given to us in the end.”

Waiting until June 1 allows the Laker Classic lacrosse tournament to proceed unaffected and the junior A Lakers to get a number of games in, Seabrooke said.

“We thought it would be best to accommodate those groups in May,” he said.

There is also additional work than originally planned for the estimated $2.5-million project. The OHL has given the Petes until 2020 to comply with league’s standards for boards.

“The Ontario Hockey League requires changes to the boards and they’ve given us some time to do it,” Seabrooke said.

“Once you remove the boards it entails a lot of other work as well. We knew all along the boards would need to be done.”