Centre 200 officials will be forced to start from scratch after a lengthy power outage caused by post-tropical storm Fiona shut down the ice plant, causing the venue to lose the ice in the process. Ice making will resume once power is restored to the facility. CONTRIBUTED - PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDSYDNEY, N.S. — Post-tropical storm Fiona caused havoc across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality last weekend and the island's largest entertainment venue also saw the impact.
"It came to a point where we thought if we were able to have power earlier this week, we would have been able to save it," said Paul MacDonald, manager of facilities for CBRM."Once the floor reaches a certain temperature, that's it."The ice was installed at the venue earlier this month in preparation for the start of the Cape Breton Eagles' Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season. Prior to the storm, this week was shaping up to be a busy one at the venue.
"We've removed the old water and paint and we have the logos out and dried them out and cleaned them," said MacDonald."We're just waiting to be reconnected to start up the plant and make the ice again." Centre 200 wasn't the only venue in Atlantic Canada to lose ice because of the storm. A similar issue occurred at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown. In a social media post last Monday, Hockey P.E.I. said 10 arenas on the island lost their ice surfaces.
"The issue was inside the plant room that required us to replace some piping, and therefore, we were unable to start the plant in a timely manner," said MacDonald, noting the rumours of a compressor issue were not true. MacDonald said once officials identified the problem, the venue had to bring in the parts and technicians, which took two-and-a-half days. Inspectors also had to be brought in before work could be completed.Meanwhile, the CBRM-owned Miners Forum in Glace Bay was able to save its ice surface. Power was restored at the venue midweek and crews were able to salvage the ice. No damage was reported to the structure in the storm.