East Hants dome collapses

For the second time in less than two years, officials at the East Hants Sportsplex in Lantz are dealing with major damage to the fieldhouse dome.

A combination of wet snow and rain combined to tear through the dome Nov. 28, leaving a 76-metre-long gash across the entire width of the facility.

“The weight just continued to build… and caused it to come through the top of the building,” said Scott Forward, the executive director of the East Hants Arena Association.

“It created a tear and the tear would have been accentuated by the wind,” he said. “In a structure like that, wind that would not seem very significant to us in general (turns it) into a little bit of a sail. Without any pressure in it the wind is going to tear it even more.”

The dome is supported by air, not a frame.

A conference call with the manufacturer was scheduled for

The East Hants Sportsplex dome has collapsed again, likely due to the weight of snow. ERIC WYNNE/SALTWIRE NETWORK

Monday to come up with a plan.

Once the repairs are made, the dome can be reinflated, which Forward said could take two to five days.

“Getting it up in the air is the first challenge, and not the one that is most challenging,” he said. “It’s the internal aspects of the damage that become time consuming. You have light standards, you have lights and roof lights, you have glass possibly on the field, you have the soccer nets that get damaged. It’s a whole host of fallout.”

Insurance will cover some of the damage, but there is a deductible and other costs that won’t be covered.

“The deductible will increase based on previous incidents,” Forward said. “When you’re running a not-for-profit, we typically run in the black but not with a lot of margin either way.”

In the winter of 2014-15, the dome collapsed from the weight of accumulated snow, and in March of 2018, the heavy winds of a nor’easter ripped it and caused it to collapse.

Forward said the association, which is not funded or subsidized by government, may have to look for financial help. A large chunk of its operating revenue comes from renting the dome, and it is fully booked through to the end of April. Between 1,200 and 1,600 people use it each week for soccer, football, rugby, baseball, field hockey and other sport and recreation activities.

“We’re in our prime season,” he said. “It’s going to be a major impact.”

The dome was added to the arena complex about eight years ago during an expansion that included a second ice surface, additional meeting rooms and a facelift in the main part of the building. The dome cost about $3 million, including the excavation, preparation and artificial turf.

The special vinyl covering cost about $1.5 million.