(Cobourg, ON) August 26, 2019 – The Town of Cobourg would like to remind citizens that the Cobourg Memorial Arena located at 206 Furnace Street will not re-open for ice use. On August 12, 2019 Cobourg Council voted not to re-open the arena due to low utilization and significant future capital costs due to the aging infrastructure.

The Cobourg Memorial Arena was built approximately in 1949 with a portion rebuilt in 1952 after it was destroyed by fire. Additions to the main building took place in 1992 and 1997. This arena is not considered accessible by current Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), a statute enacted in 2005 by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada. Interim Facility Utilization Reports were presented to Council on July 22, 2019 and can be viewed here: https://cobourg.civicweb.net/document/169690.

A Condition Assessment of the Memorial Arena was completed by Pinchin Ltd, in February 2018 as part of the Town of Cobourg's asset management plan. This report included specialist reviews of the mechanical, electrical, fire and life safety systems, AODA and code compliance. As detailed in the Pinchin report, the Memorial Arena would require significant repairs and improvements to the infrastructure including enhancements to accessibility. To bring the building up to AODA standards would cost at least $574,000. Municipal buildings by law must be AODA compliant by 2025.

Given the future capital costs, the challenges of bringing the facility into AODA compliance and the low utilization, Memorial Arena will remain closed permanently. Town staff will begin to decommission the arena which includes the removal and proper disposal of the ammonia in the refrigeration system and will begin a process to determine potential future uses for the building.
The Town of Cobourg will continue to utilize both The Pond and The Bowl arenas located at the Cobourg Community Centre at 750 D’Arcy Street.