A long-awaited new ice rink in Sun Peaks is almost ready to use.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Mayor Al Raine says it should be open by mid-November.

“We’re quite pleased about that… I think there are a few minor things, but we have occupancy for the buildings and occupancy for the rink,” Raine says. “And we’ve had quite a bit of demand regionally too, for skating and hockey groups.”

He says it will be an open-air rink at least this winter, and drop walls will be installed at some point.

“Almost a roller effect. So that you can roll it down, attach it at the bottom and it’s a wall. And that’s important longer-term, because then you can use it in the month of May, for example, if there’s a group in the resort and they wanted to do a trade show or a gathering. Then we can pull the walls down and put a little heat in there.”

The complex also includes a fitness facility, which has been open for several weeks. Raine says it’s been well used with about 50 guests per day. The whole complex cost just under $10 million to build, and it was under construction for about a year-and-a-half.

Raine says the drop walls for the rink will cost an extra couple-hundred-thousand dollars, which he says the municipality is now scrambling to get funding for.