Arena-Opening Delay Impacts Minor Hockey Programs

LOUISDALE - The puck won't officially drop at the Richmond Arena until November 1, but officials with a local minor hockey association are hoping the recent installation of ice at the facility will offer a chance for a compromise as long-delayed athletic programs take shape once again this fall. 

During September's Committee of the Whole meeting for Richmond Municipal Council, a consensus was reached to stick with the original council decision to delay re-opening the facility for public sports programs until the end of October.

That prompted the president of the Strait Richmond Minor Hockey Association (SRMHA), Angie Matheson, to issue a statement on social media driving home the association's disappointment with council's decision and announcing that the group's minor hockey programs would take place exclusively at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre until the Richmond Arena's mid-fall re-opening date. 

"The decision to delay the opening of Richmond Arena until November 1 was made with minimal consultation or communication with the Strait-Richmond Minor Hockey Association," Matheson declared in her statement, which was posted on the SRMHA Facebook page the day after the September 14 Committee of the Whole meeting.

"This means that, depending on the approval of the next phase of our Rebound Plan by Public Health and Hockey Nova Scotia, we will be down an ice surface for scheduling. The result will be reduced ice-times and delays in program starts."

She went on to insist that, even after the projected November 1 re-opening of Richmond Arena, "we are not sure what restrictions will be put in place by the county...We know there have been concerns about some of the [COVID-19 social distancing] restrictions, but some hockey is better than no hockey."

When TELILE 24/7 reached out to the SRMHA regarding Matheson's post, an official with the association - who asked not to be named - confirmed that Richmond Arena crews started making ice on September 21, and added that this will prepare the local rink to be open for its typical users within three weeks. This will be only two weeks later than the typical start time for the SRMHA's fall programs.

While the SHRMA official described this delay as "inconvenient," the association's statement also insisted that "we are happy to get back on the ice."