Agrena renovations almost complete

The renovations to the Barrhead Agrena are almost complete, only two months after starting the project.

Sue Keenan, Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Barrhead, said all of the renovations should be fully completed by the beginning of September. Keenan explained how the project got started.

“Renovations started as soon as the budget was approved, which would have been in April. I went forward to Council and said we had some issues. I put together a five-year capital plan and the agrena, which is an incredible facility that we are very fortunate to have, was starting to get run down. We had some issues with the roof leaking and that had an impact on our ice and on the internal structure of the facility,” said Keenan. “There were two components to my plan. First was the structural integrity of the facility and the second was the aesthetics of the facility. It was looking worn and outdated so it needed a refresh.”

Keenan said most of the renovations are now completed.

“We had a safety harness system put in on the roof so the guys can get up there in the winter and clean off the snow. We have also had some major roof work completed to stop the leaks and that cost approximately $100,000,” added Keenan. “The other thing was we needed a full re-fresh for this facility and Council, in their wisdom, actually gave me more money than I asked for. We painted the entire facility from top to bottom and I thought we needed to add some artwork just to make the building lighter.”

Keenan said there are a few things left to do and a few things she would like to do in the future.

“The murals need to go up and the ceiling tiles for the entire building will need to be changed. Then we need to finish off the lobby. We will be installing new shelving in the lobby. The lobby will include a lounge area, hopefully some trees and plants coming in and a new seating area for around the concession area. I am looking at getting nice, used furniture but I am looking at the bistro type furniture,” she said. “There are two things I have on my capital plan for 2015 but Council doesn’t know those yet but they are the bleachers and the concrete floors. The only other thing left to do is to do the exterior of the building but I would like to wait until either next year or when the pool is built. The exterior is something that should be re-done every five to seven years and I would like it to be done in the town’s colours.”

The Town provided Keenan with just under $200,000 in capital funds for all of the renovations to the facility.

“I have gone over budget in certain things but I should be extremely close to the target of $200,000. My target is to use between 95-99 per cent of the money allotted to me. With the murals, I believe we will be about $5,000 over budget at the end of the day,” she said.

Keenan went on to explain the benefits of the upgrades to the agrena.

“I think there are two major factors and the first is the enhanced longevity of a facility because, whether the renovations are cosmetic or not, they still add to the long term benefits,” she said. The second one is the feedback from the residents. They are proud of the facilities we have and it is my department’s job to make sure that we continue to stay on top of things so that our residents continue to be proud of what we are doing.”

Keenan admitted that the renovations have been excellent and gone very well.

“For what we paid and what we have gotten done, and even if we are over a little bit, we definitely got true value for our money. I am absolutely ecstatic to see the renovations come along as well as they did. I was thrilled when the painters were done and we did our walkthrough of the building. They did a phenomenal job. I have heard many comments from residents about how good the building looks now, after the renovations,” added Keenan.

Keenan went on to say that the renovations were timely.

“We definitely needed them. I am very appreciative of Council’s support and I truly believe we have to stick to a five-year capital plan to make sure we cover off everything that needs to be replaced,” Keenan concluded. “If we stay on top of that, we won’t have that rundown, knock them down scenario that typically follows when you don’t maintain your facilities properly.”