‘Big difference’ — Tecumseh Arena sports $3.2M fresh look

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The front lobby at Tecumseh Arena has reopened to visitors after months of renovations to repair flood damage and give the facility a fresh new look.

The arena suffered $900,000 worth of damage due to flooding from a heavy rain event in July 2023.

The flood occurred when a sewer backed up during a downpour, allowing water to rush into the facility’s main level. It resulted in damage to floors, walls, washrooms, offices, the dressing rooms and concession/canteen areas.

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“The massive flooding event in the arena really precipitated the whole approach to the refresh,” said Beth Gignac, the town’s community and recreation services director. “People are really going to notice a big difference when they walk into the arena.”

The $3.2-million renovation included some major upgrades to the twin-padded facility that opened in 1995.

The town reconfigured the entire lobby to create more open space by relocating the grand staircase to the side and adding new seating areas. The concession area has been reconfigured, with accessibility improvements made throughout the facility.

The dressing rooms and washrooms have been refreshed, and upgrades were made to the community and office spaces. New lighting and water bottle refilling stations have also been added.

“The large staircase really overwhelmed the main entry area,” Gignac told the Star. “It really made it tough for people to navigate their way into the dressing room corridor. It really served as an obstruction.

“We removed that and relocated the staircase feature to the back of the lobby area. That’s a real difference for folks.”

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While the lobby is now complete, some minor work still needs to be finished around the facility. Gignac said the town is continuing on exterior work, which is expected to be completed in the coming months.

“It’s a long time coming,” Gignac said. “It doesn’t feel like an industrial place anymore. It’s a much quieter space where we’ve been very focused on making it family-friendly.

“People spend a lot of hours here with their kids and we really wanted to make sure that people felt comfortable here.”

Gignac said the town is still pursing its idea of expanding the facility to include a wellness hub and a triple-gym. That plan, which carried a price tag of more than $80 million, was shelved when senior government funding wasn’t secured to help fund the project.

“I think that this investment, we hope, will attract investment to our community and to allow us to actually do that expansion,” Gignac said.

A week-long celebration to officially mark the reopening of the arena is set to take place in the new year.

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