Terracover Ice in Place for an MMA Event at Dartmouh Sportsplex

Dartmouth, NS – In early 2007, Bob Quigley, General Manager of the Dartmouth Sportsplex in Dartmouth, NS, received the approval of the Board of Directors to proceed with the purchase of a new Ice Cover System for his facility. It was time to replace his aging system and Bob new that he had to make the right decision, since he would have to live with its consequences for many years to come.

As a smaller ice arena facility, Bob has become a specialist in generating revenue and reducing long term costs through smart investing in their infrastructure. Every purchase is thoroughly researched in order to perform an intensive cost/benefit analysis over the lifespan of the product.

Rather than assume that the arena decking fiberboard that is so prevalent in other arenas was the best way to go, a comprehensive research was initiated to find out which product had the best features, would be the safest and easiest to handle and would provide the lowest cost of ownership on an annual basis. This was critical because like most facilities, it would be a long time before the Sportsplex would be able to budget for a new ice cover, regardless of the success or failure of the product.

Bob’s research led him to Covermaster and the Terracover Ice^® System. After many discussions, reference checking and an onsite demonstration, Bob was convinced that the Terracover Ice^® System was the only product that met his criteria. The larger panels, at 42 square feet each, would reduce his installation time. The unique camlock system which allows each panel to be secured to the next panel on all 4 sides, provided the safest cover system available for his conversion crew. Even during installation and removal, the panels are locked together, providing a secure surface to walk on, since panels will not slide apart. This also allows for set up of events to start taking place while the panels are still being installed, reducing overall conversion time.

The overlapping panels prevent the cold air from the ice surface from migrating to the cover surface, making surface condensation much less likely. Also, the fact that the panels overlap and lock together, means that a drivable scrubbing machine can be driven over the surface during event breakdown. This greatly reduces conversion times and allows for more back to back events.

With the highest insulation R-Value available anywhere, the Sportsplex’s patrons on the Terracover Ice^® are more comfortable than they would be on any other system. In fact, during a recent cheerleading competition, the girls were sitting quite comfortably in their skirts directly on the Terracover Ice^®, even with the ice below it. Truly, something that would not be possible on an arena decking system.

Even with all of these features and the raised chevron anti-slip surface, not available on any other system, the fact that sold Bob on Terracover Ice^® was its annualized cost. While feedback from other facilities suggest a 4-6 year lifespan for the arena decking systems, the original Terracover Ice^® is still in operation after more than 10 years of service. In fact, when the London Arena was closed, the Terracover Ice® system was moved over to the O2 Arena. Having outlived the facility where it was vigorously used is a testament to the durability of the system.

Like all other purchases that Bob makes, the Terracover Ice^® System allowed him to get the best value for his money while lowering his overall cost of ownership of an Ice Cover System.