Hamilton's Eastwood Arena set to reopen this fall

Hamilton's Eastwood Arena set to reopen this fall

Ward 2 city councillor says arena will open for at least one year, possibly longer

Hamilton's Eastwood Arena will reopen this fall for at least one year and Ward 2 city councillor Cameron Kroetsch says he'll keep fighting to keep it open longer.

The arena temporarily closed on April 15 because of a number of concerns with the building including water drainage issues, a leaking roof and aging heating equipment, Kroetsch told CBC News on Monday.

Kroetsch said he's been working with staff to come up with a plan to reopen the arena. As part of that process, staff analyzed the arena's condition and systems and determined the arena will open this fall for at least one year, he said.

He said the building's current facilities, including heating and water systems, are operational but don't function well when under stress of prolonged use, which is why the arena has had to close twice since last year.

He said he will continue working with community groups, city and arena staff to try to keep it open for longer and fight to have more permanent, long-term repairs done at the facility.

"There's been a rink in Eastwood Park for more than 100 years. This is a place where people play sports, this is a place where community comes to, a place where community gathers," Kroetsch said.

"It's where people are now playing non-ice sports for the first time, it's where families are coming and cheering on their children, right? It's a place where memories are forged."

He also said the arena will need repairs between now and the end of August, before it reopens, and those costs will be covered by existing city budgets.

"There simply isn't another non-ice space for non-ice sports in the lower city or anywhere in the city actually that's like Eastwood."

'Creates a consistent space for our community'

According to Kroetsch, the arena offers a space for non-ice programming that is primarily used by Hamilton Lacrosse, Hamilton Ball Hockey, and Hammer City Roller Derby and the groups pay fees to use the facility.

In an email statement to CBC, the president of the Hammer City Roller Derby, Chelsea Lecompte, said being able to return to Eastwood Arena is important to the entire league and the other leagues that call Eastwood home.

“When we were displaced from Eastwood last year, we struggled immensely to find a space to practice, and we reached out to more than 125 venues across Hamilton to try to secure a space,” Lecompte said in the statement.

“Having the stability of somewhere like Eastwood creates a consistent space for our community. Roller derby is one of the few sports that’s built to empower women, gender-expansive and (includes) LGBTQ+ athletes and it has become increasingly important to create and protect these spaces.”

She said establishing a permanent location at an arena like Eastwood will help the league and other non-ice sports in the community grow, since finding a venue – especially in the winter when most arenas put ice in – has been a challenge for years.

Brittany Spencer is a multi-platform reporter and producer based in Hamilton. She's previously worked with CBC in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick covering politics, health care and the justice system. She's a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University's journalism program and joined CBC in 2017. You can reach her at brittany.spencer@cbc.ca.