The City of Prince George officially opened the rebuilt Kin 1 arena on Saturday, in a ceremony marking the one-year countdown until the city hosts the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
The 750-seat, $16.5 million arena has been open for limited operations since January, and is expected to open fully to the public within a few weeks. However, several hundred attendees got a chance to test the ice in a free skate following the opening ceremony Saturday afternoon.
"It's a beautiful building. The user group feedback has been tremendous," Mayor Shari Green said. "[And] it's been on time and on budget, which I know is important to our taxpayers."
The Kin 1 arena upgrade is the largest capital project planned ahead of the 2015 Canada Winter Games. The City of Prince George contributed $10.5 million to the project, with the federal and provincial governments each contributing $3 million.
The arena will host the short-track speedskating and figure skating events and, when combined with CN Centre, represents the only arena in B.C. with two Olympic-to-NHL-size convertible rinks.
Many of the Canadian Olympians currently competing in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, "started in a place like this, in a community like this," Green said.
Many of Canada's star athletes, including hockey star Sidney Crosby, competed at the Canada Games, Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond said.
"Forty per cent of Team Canada that is in Sochi today came through the Canada Winter Games program," Bond said.
While the arena may play host to future Olympic athletes, it is also home to a piece of Olympic memorabilia from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
On Jan. 29, 2010 the Olympic torch relay came to Prince George. As part of the festivities, artist Fritz Branschat created a painting of the torch relay on a spinning canvas.
Green said the painting was presented to the City of Prince George, but ended up in storage and was almost forgotten. After a suggestion by Citizen reporter Frank Peebles, Green said the city decided to display the painting in the new Kin 1 arena - once they found it, which required phone calls to retired staff members.
"I have been looking for the painting for a couple months. It was sitting in storage, waiting to be claimed," Green said.
B.C. Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes said the provincial government is proud to be a partner with the city, federal government and games organizing committee to bring the Canada Winter Games to B.C. for the first time.
"I have to tell you, at every sporting venue I have been too... I have been telling people the story about how the North is getting ready to host the Canada Winter Games," Oakes said. "The competitors you'll see in the Canada Winter Games will be our future stars. These sports will build our future Olympians, Paralympians and Special Olympians."
Canada Games Council director Paul Flaherty said the council has been impressed by the organization, venues and volunteerism seen in Prince George.
"The one-year event is always a tremendous milestone. We, at the council, are very confident that your host committee will put on a great games," Flaherty said. "Each Canada Games strives to engage its [host city] population... it's a great opportunity for the people of Prince George to connect with each other and those who come. Thanks to the Canada Games, you and your community will never be the same."
Rhonda Dickson and her children were among those who came to watch the opening and enjoy the free skate and festivities.
"It's really beautiful, I love the artwork," Dickson said.
In addition to the painting by Branschat, the arena include a mural of winter sports and photos of local youth athletes - including minor hockey goalie Tristan Bartrim. A photo of Bartrim in net during a hockey tournament in December is featured prominently in the arena.
So what's it like to be immortalized on the walls of the city's newest sports venue? "Good," Bartrim said.
Prince George is scheduled to host the Canada Winter Games from Feb. 15 to March 1, 2015.
