Work has begun to resurrect the downed dome in Lantz.
“While 2019 ended on a disappointing note with the collapse of the dome, I’m happy to say that 2020 will see the dome back in operation,” Scott Forward, executive director of the East Hants Association that oversees the dome and the attached East Hants Sportsplex, said in a release.
“Since the dome’s collapse, the board of directors and Sportsplex staff have been working diligently with Farley, the manufacturers of the dome, to assess the current and future operation of the facility.”
The Farley Group, the southwestern Ontario manufacturer of the crumpled, air-supported dome that covers the 100-by-60-metre field below, sent staff to Lantz this week to assess the collapse. The dome went down after sustaining a 75-metre-long gash during a snow, rain and wind event at the end of November.
“Weather permitting, in seven to 10 days, the dome will be re-inflated and work to assess and repair the structure will begin,” Forward said.
“It is expected that modifications will be made to the dome itself so that the structure is better able to withstand the weather patterns in our region.”
The work is likely to take several months to complete.
The collapse is the third in the dome’s eight-year history. In March 2018, heavy winds ripped the polyvinyl chloride-coated vinyl material that covers the dome. The result left the material lying on the ground, propped up only by doors and equipment sheds underneath.
In the winter of 2014-15, the dome collapsed from the weight of accumulated snow, the same culprit identified in the most recent collapse.
Forward told The Chronicle Herald that the insurance deductible is likely to increase this time, as it has with each incident.
The dome was added to the arena complex at a cost of about $3 million, including the excavation, preparation and the artificial turf. The vinyl covering initially cost about $1.5 million.
The association that operates the sportsplex and the dome is not funded or subsidized by government and a large chunk of its operating revenue comes from dome rentals. Between 1,200 and 1,600 people use it each week for soccer, football, rugby, baseball, field hockey and other sport and recreation activities. It’s usually fully booked through to the end of April.
