Curling Rink

January 9, 2009

The exciting news this week is the pouring of the first 4 sheets of the curling rink. Originally scheduled for December 18th, 2008, the pour was delayed to Jan. 8th because of the colder weather and the Christmas holiday break.

The prep for the floor included 35,960 feet of pipe (almost 11 km) and almost 14 km of rebar which was then buried within 130 cubic metres of concrete from our local concrete supplier. The concrete trucks lined up outside and the concrete was pumped in while the crew from 3D Concrete wrestled the hose around and laid the floor.

Laser levels were set up at strategic points and were constantly being checked during the pour to ensure flatness of the slab. Included with the slab were the curbs at either end of the pour that make up a portion of the header trench as well as the return trench and required special attention to make sure no voids were created during the process. A small test slab was poured a few days prior elsewhere to test the specifications laid out by the engineering company and all the brine lines were pressurized and constantly checked during the process to make sure nothing was punctured requiring an immediate repair.

As part of the specification, bags of granular hardener were required to be spread at a specific density on the new concrete and then power trowelled which creates an extremely hard and durable surface for future events. Currently the forms are being stripped and the surface is being kept moist as part of the curing process. Vastly different than pouring a garage pad or driveway, Thursdays pour required the cooperation of over 8 separate companies onsite such as the concrete supplier, pump truck, concrete testing company, and refrigeration contractor amongst others. The engineering, detailing and preparation involved even a greater amount of people and man hours to ensure residents of the Creston Valley are left with a lasting legacy. The final two sheet slab is scheduled to be poured Jan 12th and then walkways will be poured shortly after that.