Free skate part of Thorold’s Doherty arena grand re-opening

Bring your skates and glide over the glossy smooth surface of the Thorold’s new Frank Doherty Arena ice pad on Saturday.

For three years, major upgrades have been made to the aging Thorold Community Arenas facility. All arena user groups and Thorold residents are invited to get a glimpse of the renovated building at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, while enjoying refreshments and a free skating session.

Even entering the building itself will be a better experience, with the addition of new sliding doors making it much easier to manage carrying equipment without having to open doors, and the new Pro Series boards and glass have been designed to minimize injury, says arena manager Jerry Franceschini.

Dressing rooms have been renovated extensively and new sound panels have been added to improve the arena’s acoustics.

Said city CAO Manoj Dilwaria, “These improvements were initiated in order to decrease operating costs and address inefficiencies present in the older facility. Arena users will benefit by an improvement in the quality of service available and an overall more desirable arena experience. Updating the arena infrastructure will extend the life expectancy of the facility, which will ultimately keep costs down for residents.”

The public ribbon-cutting ceremony gets underway at 2:30 p.m. with Mayor Ted Luciani, followed by the free skate from 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Thorold Community Arenas is an arena complex with two ice pads, Frank Doherty and James Whyte arenas, that share a central lobby, washrooms and canteen.