As Quinte News continues its look at the year to come, Marmora and Lake Mayor Jan O’Neill expects 2025 to be a much better year for the municipality’s arena.
There has not been ice at the Dr. Hamilton Crawford Memorial Centre yet this season.
They did not have the staff qualified for ice-making when the arena was scheduled to open on September 1 and, after hiring a new Manager of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, learned there would be a further delay due to equipment failure.
O’Neill says work will be done early in the new year, however, it means there will be no ice at the rink until the fall.
“There’s some leaking in the roof and there’s a platform where you go up to the warm room that needs some attention and they will be replacing the chiller that failed over the next period of, you know, this term.”
Insurance is covering the repairs to the chiller.
Despite the issues at the arena, there will be ice to skate on this winter in Marmora.
Council has given a volunteer group the go ahead to install an outdoor rink at the fairgrounds with completion expected very soon.
O’Neill hopes 2025 will bring some news on the proposed pumped storage project for the community.
She knows many people are wondering about the status of the project.
Initially the project was going to be a collaboration between Ontario Power Generation and Northland Power but O’Neill says it is now solely a Northland proposal.
“We are planning and have been accepted as a delegation to the Minister of Energy at the ROMA Conference where we will be promoting him or encouraging him to approve that project and move it forward.”
The project would use the former open-pit fire mine in Marmora and convert it into a closed-loop cycle design that recirculates the same water between the former open-pit mine and upper reservoir.
Marmora and Lake Council will also meet early in the new year to complete its 2025 budget.
