The Town of Hay River is considering a change at the new arena because of a problem with glass around the ice surface shattering.
"I think we've had three pieces of glass around the arena system that have shattered for various reasons," senior administrative officer Judy Goucher told an Oct. 23 meeting of town council. "We are looking into, particularly behind the nets, installing Plexiglas instead of glass. The glass when it shatters is quite a mess. It takes a long time to clean up."
Goucher noted the town has been in contact with the manufacturer and has ordered two smaller pieces of replacement glass for sections that were broken and repaired at about the time of the Arctic Winter Games in March of this year.
Another large sheet of glass was broken in mid-October.
"So, the recommendation is that we look into Plexiglas," she said. "Although it may be more costly than the other glass, it may have a longer life."
Goucher told council she would have more information later.
Coun. Keith Dohey suggested the town check the warranty for the arena glass.
"That tempered glass isn't supposed to explode like that," he said. "If it is, it's probably got to do with the install. I know on a couple of the earlier ones that was what it was attributed to."
Dohey mentioned the construction effort to meet the deadline of the Arctic Winter Games.
"We were in such a rush to open (the arena) that we knew there were some deficiencies with those boards and then we found just how deficient," he said. "It might be worth looking into that. I just think there's going to be difficulty putting Plexiglas into there. Those stanchions aren't built for Plexiglas. Someone is going to have fun trying to figure that out."