The multipurpose room inside the Estevan Leisure Centre is currently closed as part of a floor replacement project.
The multipurpose room, which is used for sports, fitness classes, meetings, family events and other purposes, has been closed since Aug. 1. Diane Wenham, events manager for the city, said the floor inside the multipurpose room dated back to when the room opened in 1992.
“It was just getting to be in a little bit of rough shape, and it was time to have it replaced,” said Wenham.
There had not been any problems or incidents due to the condition of the previous floor.
Rod March, the manager of facilities and parks for the city, added that the old flooring was developing cracks and it was hard to keep clean.
“We have done quite a bit of work with replacing the lighting and everything in the multipurpose room,” he said. We did a total paint job on the walls and the roof.”
A sport like pickleball has become popular locally in recent years, and this new floor will have the markings for pickleball, allowing it to be played indoors.
The previous floor has been peeled out, and a Pulastic sports floor surface will be installed. It’s a multi-layer process, with a base layer coming first, and then the Pulastic mixture to be applied.
“It is put out and rolled on and levelled, and then after that sets, then all of the lines will be marked out and painted on with the same type of product,” said Wenham.
The multipurpose room is scheduled to reopen on Aug. 20, but if the flooring is completed ahead of schedule, then Wenham said it would open earlier.
Multipurpose room users will notice a difference, and not just in the flooring. Acoustics will also be improved.
“The sound will be better. This new floor, from what I’ve been reading, absorbs some of the sound, so that will help while you’re playing basketball or badminton or pickleball or any other sport,” said Wenham.
The bounce from the ball will also be much better. This type of floor has been used in other facilities in Canada and the U.S., she said.
Two programs that have been offered in the multipurpose room have been moved to the Power Dodge Curling Club’s lobby during the renovation. The first is Grit, which is an interval training course. The other is Easy Stretch, which teaches flexibility and attracts a healthy number of participants.
“This was a perfect opportunity that we had that available to us,” said Wenham. “We did not want to have to cancel any classes.”
