Two new ice pads currently under construction at the Cambridge Sports Park are on pace to open at the beginning of the 2023-2024 season.
The work, which will also see renovations to the existing two ice pads and other facility upgrades, is trending towards a Sept. 1 completion date.
John Cook, vice president of Buckingham Sports Properties Co., the company that owns the facility and is spearheading the renovations, is excited about the progress but still preaches cautious optimism.
“Right now everything is going along on time,” Cook said.
“But we do have to throw some caution to the air when it comes to the supply chain and the weather we’re up against. I’ve become a bit of a weather watcher.”
The main concern is the supply of steel that has already been delayed twice. Delays are not unique to this project as many construction companies have been plagued by limited supply, but Cook says he’s been told that it won’t happen again.
With any major project, hiccups are commonplace and communication between all parties is critical. Cook praised the City of Cambridge staff for their cooperation and vows to keep stakeholders in the know about how the construction is coming along.
“If there’s any problems I’d rather be upfront with the citizens of Cambridge,” Cook said.
“We meet every two weeks on site to keep crew members up-to-date and I’ve had open conversations with the city.”
Cook is hoping all aspects of the project progress as scheduled, but says Buckingham has plans in place should there be more bumps along the way.
“We have long term contingency plans,” he said.
“For the two older rinks we've looked at the option to hold back the opening of the adult leagues and our user groups so minor hockey won’t be displaced. We want to make sure kids are on the ice by the middle September. I’ve told the city staff that we’d keep them in tune so we don’t drop any bombshells about a delay. We don’t want to get to August and then tell them it’s going to be another two months.”
Cook says that by May 1 there should be a definitive date that everyone can meet but as of right now it remains the beginning of September.
A new refrigeration system, meeting spaces, the addition of 150 seats to each of the existing ice pads, a pro shop and an updated restaurant will all be part of the facility.
Anticipation is high as organizations have already been reaching out about youth hockey tournaments, charity tournaments and even summer hockey skills sessions, Cook says.
It’s been a long process but the finish line finally appears to be in sight. With the pressures of getting a project of this size complete, the excitement of serving the Cambridge community has not been lost on the Buckingham staff.
“It’s been a long drawn out process," Cook said.
“We’ve worked on this for three years and then COVID was thrown at us. When the new building opens we want to make sure we’ve served the needs of the community. It’s going to be exciting.”
