The ice may be out of the Hay River Curling Club, but that doesn鈥檛 mean the building will be sitting idle over the summer.

The town鈥檚 recreation department has installed a new temporary multi-sport floor on the curling club鈥檚 main surface and it鈥檚 now in full use.

Stephane Millette, the town鈥檚 director of recreation, said the floor is a modular synthetic surface and can accommodate almost anything.

鈥淭he flooring includes lines for badminton, pickleball, volleyball and two half-courts for basketball,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat said, it鈥檚 a temporary indoor gym surface and it can be used for most indoor sports.鈥�

Millette said he wasn鈥檛 able to disclose how much the flooring cost or where it came from because it was done through a request for proposals process and the town doesn鈥檛 typically make those results public.

He did say that the floor was bought using third-party funds and that a total of four bids were received by the town.

As for the length of time the flooring will be laid out, Millette said the curling club鈥檚 ice is typically removed between mid-to-late March and will stay out until around September.

鈥淒epartment of Recreation staff and Hay River Curling Club representatives have a very good working relationship,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome coordination will be required annually, but the end of Hay River鈥檚 ice season typically aligns with the schools鈥� spring break.鈥�

Right now, the town鈥檚 recreation department is handling all of the planning and co-ordination of programming, said Millette, but the court is open to groups who would like to rent it out.

He also said the introduction of the sport court is another way people in town can stay active during what鈥檚 known as the 鈥渟houlder season鈥�.

鈥淵outh and adults of all ages make use of the equipment to stay active at a time of year when outdoor activities can be limited by unpredictable weather and snowy and /or wet conditions of local greenspaces and sport fields,鈥� he said. 鈥淪tudents make use of the equipment at lunch hour and after school (and) recreation department staff believe these initiatives help build active lifestyles and help improve the health of the community.鈥�

You can visit the recreation department鈥檚 Facebook page if you鈥檇 like to see a sped-up version of the floor鈥檚 installation.

鈥擝y Amanda Rumbolt