The Stockade Building in Kinetic Park is getting a facelift this summer. 

The City of Swift Current announced during last night's city council meeting that the 22,500 square-foot structure would be getting some new metal siding that will require minimal upkeep and repair. 

Bringing this before city council was Nicole Spenst, general manager of community services for the City of Swift Current.

"We'll be working with the contractor and events happening at Kinetic Park," shared Spenst. "We do have some breaks in the summer months before fall and winter events happen. Our hope is that in the Stockades downtime, we'll be able to do this work on the facility and have minimal impact on other events happening on the grounds."

The contract for the installation of this upgrade was awarded to Bridal Builders of Swift Current. They won the contract out of five total bids, having been the lowest offer. 

The City originally expected a cost of $300,000, and budgeted for that amount. It will be saving close to $70,000 since the winning bid came in at a little less than $230,000. 

"There is a little bit there for contingency if something comes up in the facility that is unforeseen," said Spenst. "If not, it will go back into paying off some of the debt within the City."

The metal siding, or "cladding", is the same kind on the grandstands lining the race track. The colouring is set to match as well, updating the exterior of the Stockade Building and bringing it in line with the grandstands. 

The reason they have had to update this building, which is around 50 years old, is that water was infiltrating the structure. This water has the potential to damage the newly installed flooring.

A photo of the new flooring. The new flooring has floor markings for multiple sports. (photo by Morgan Gerwing)

"Our staff have been diligent and caught that," praised Spenst. "We've been able to do the cleanups so as to not affect the long-term quality of the floor, but [damage] is something that was foreseeable if we didn't do this."

For now, the roof of the former curling rink is still holding up well enough for the time being. The City will continue to monitor the Stockade building and the other older structures, and address them as best they can when they can.