Damage caused by a flood inside Tecumseh Arena is estimated at nearly $900,000 although that figure could go up even more.
A report going to town council Tuesday evening shows the cost to repair and replace items damaged by the flood is around $891,000.
The town has been working with the insurance company and Supreme Restoration Services to assess and repair the damage following a significant rainfall event on July 2.
A sewer back up resulted in water getting into the main level of the arena on McNorton Street, damaging the floors and lower walls in the front lobby, public washrooms, administrative offices, dressing rooms and the canteen.
The report going to council indicates work is underway to return the arena to normal use by the end of August, with temporary protective surfaces being installed.
But the report indicates it would not be favourable to replace the flooring during the regular ice hockey season due to the logistics and complexities surrounding use of the facility and it's being recommended a permanent replacement be installed in May 2024, after the hockey season is over.
Deputy mayor Joe Bachetti says right now, he thinks they're going to take a cautious, phased approach to the repairs including to the front lobby.
"There's consultation to see the best practice, what we can do for that area? Should we defer that to the end of May 2024 when the season is done? It gives the town the opportunity to find out where the insurance claim stands and perhaps do the front lobby where the high traffic area is, do it at that time," he says.
Bachetti says there may be a variance between the total replacement cost and what the town has to fund..
"We've got some numbers coming to council in terms of the emergency services that will be covered versus the extra work we want to do as part of the project to keep the materials the same," he says. "We want to stress to the public that the user groups will not have any impact for starting the season Labour Day weekend."
Council is also being asked to approve spending $30,000 for an independent engineering assessment of the existing on-site storm water infrastructure and to recommend potential mitigation measures to reduce future flood risks.
Tecumseh council meets at 7 p.m. on Aug. 8 at Tecumseh Town Hall.