The doors to the Aberdeen Recreation Complex were locked and the

The Aberdeen Recreation Complex (ARC) is once again open for business.

“We officially opened the doors yesterday,” said ARC General Manager Bonnie Doige in an interview on Wednesday, September 8. “The user groups have been busy for the past week getting everything set up, and now it’s basically business as usual.”

Doige confirmed that a temporary agreement, the details of which were not made public, had been reached on September 1 with Affinity Credit Union (ACU), the financial institution which holds the mortgage on the building, to keep the doors open for another season. She praised the efforts of Trevor Cornish and other volunteers in the community to engineer the arrangement.

“Affinity has been very receptive to the needs of the residents,” said Doige. “They appreciate how much the ARC means to the town and surrounding area. It’s really the heart of the community, and it’s so important to keep it open.

“I think that showed in how quickly everyone stepped up to get things back in operation.”

Doige said the ACU is overseeing the operations of the facility while a long-term solution is sought.

“We still need to find a buyer for the building,” said Doige.

The doors to the 64,500 square-foot multi-purpose facility closed August 25 when an online auction failed to produce a buyer. The building and the 5.13 acre lot it is located on were recently assessed at $10,076,900. Built in 2005 at a cost of about $12 million, it currently carries a mortgage of about $1.9 million.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely cut into the facility’s rental income last year, precipitating the financial crunch which led to its closure in late August.

Re-opening the ARC’s doors means that the curling and hockey rinks are hosting events, and skating, dance and taekwondo clubs are in full swing. The restaurant and lounge are also welcoming back customers.

“It’s a pretty busy place right now,” said Doige. “And it’s going to get busier. Everybody’s very  happy.”

The ARC is set to host two major curling bonspiels this winter, with the provincial mixed doubles slated for February 18-22 and the provincial Seniors spiel March 2-6.

A full schedule of upcoming events, and information on booking ice times is available on the ARC’s website (www.aberdeenrecplex.ca).