Sussex council will move ahead with the replacement of an arena component called the “most dangerous piece of equipment in the town.”
At the Feb. 17 meeting, councillors accepted a $137,100 bid from Black & McDonald Ltd. to replace the ammonia chiller at the 8th Hussars Sports Centre, pending approval from the province’s municipal capital borrowing board.
In December, the town hired engineering consultants MCW Maricor for design and construction administration at a cost of $9,500. They issued tender, and the lower of two bids came in 45 per cent under the $250,000 budgeted for the project, according to the community services committee report.
Ammonia is used as part of a coolant system to keep ice rinks frozen, with a 2017 Technical Safety BC bulletin warning of the need to test for leaks. The bulletin called ammonia a “toxic and a flammable substance,” saying that leaks can cause serious injuries and “create adverse conditions in the surrounding area.”
Coun. Fred Brenan called the ammonia chiller “perhaps the most dangerous piece of equipment in the town.” He said he was “heartened” to hear that even though the estimate came under budget, the town had been asked if they needed such a “hardy piece of equipment.”
“If there was any piece to have a hardy piece of equipment, this piece of equipment, it’s the one,” Brenan said. “If it had a leak, depending on which way the wind was blowing, we’d have to evacuate town.”
The December report said that the component “has surpassed its expected service life” and that it was necessary to start design work then to complete work in time for the 2026 ice season in late September.
Deputy mayor Tim Wilson, who chaired the meeting, told Brunswick News that the town was ready to “replace it when it needs to be replaced.”
“We have alarms set up and we’re really mindful,” Wilson said.
CAO Jason Thorne, who had previously served as community services director, said he’d flagged the ammonia chiller as a concern in his old role and they had looked into it.
“We knew that we were okay at that time, but on age alone, the vessel was required to be replaced, so I’m very pleased we’re making that motion and proceeding with that bit of business here,” Thorne said.
Thorne said the arena has had a “reasonably aggressive capital replacement program” to keep the building, which opened in 1973, in working condition, starting with replacing the roof in 2007.
By Andrew Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Mar 17, 2026 at 16:14
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