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Expensive behind the scenes sporting infrastructure approved in Oceanside

Mar 29, 2019 | 3:35 PM

PARKSVILLE — Regional directors signed off on a pair of upgrades to Oceanside Place and Ravensong Aquatic Centre, although many users may not notice the difference.

RDN directors approved replacing the refrigeration chiller at Oceanside place in Parksville for roughly $400,000, while $700,000 was committed to replace the air handling units at the regional indoor pool in Qualicum Beach.

John Marcellus, the RDN’s superintendent of arena services, said installing a more energy efficient chiller is slated to take place in late June and early July.

“Without a chiller you can’t refrigerate the slabs, so you can’t necessarily make ice, make it cool and maintain it. A chiller needs to be in place,” Marcellus said.

He anticipated the new chiller will result in only a minor service disruption to dry floor users at Oceanside Place.

Meanwhile the air handling upgrades, to serve as the pool’s main dehumidifier and heat source, will take place in conjunction with the facility’s annual summer shutdown, Marcellus said.

“We’ve had to extend the shutdown for maybe a week or two, it just depends when we get a contractor on site and the final scheduling is done.”

Both initiatives were anticipated capital works projects and included in this year’s RDN financial plan.

 

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