Alexandra's IceInLine rink is scheduled to reopen tonight, the first part of an almost $1 million project having been completed.
The project — which started this week with the installation of a pipe between the rink and the nearby Molyneux Aquatic Centre — will benefit both the rink and swimming pool.
Water that becomes hot when used to cool the refrigerant in the rink plant will be transferred through the pipe to the aquatic centre and used to help heat the pool.
Once a new plant is installed at the rink, the pipe will become operational and the heat transfer system will begin.
IceInLine chairman Murray Miller said the plant was being shipped from Canada on June 5. He did not know exactly when it would arrive in New Zealand but hoped it would be installed at the rink and become operational sometime in July.
The plant is being built in Canada by Accent Refrigeration Systems and shipped to New Zealand in a container. The plant will remain in the container, which will become the plant room.
The plant and piping will cost $970,000, mostly funded by $650,000 from the Vincent Community Board, which will recoup the money through electricity savings at the pool.
IceInLine also received $150,00 from the Central Lakes Trust and $130,000 from the Otago Community Trust. It also bought Canadian currency when the New Zealand dollar was high to pay for the Canadian plant, and had saved about $30,000 by doing that, and did additional fundraising, Mr Miller said.
The project replaces a previous proposal to build a new rink beside the pool, which was shelved because of insufficient funding.
The community board would gather and analyse data from the heat transfer this winter and probably next winter, before deciding whether to help fund stage two of the project, which was to put a roof over the rink, hopefully two winters from now, Mr Miller said.
A full calendar of events was planned for the rink this winter, including curling, ice hockey, figure skating and family sessions, he said.
A free Kiwi Skate session was also being held tomorrow, from 4.30pm to 5.30pm.
