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OBI): afiittun @asettc THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010 Target date discussed for arena Contractor, staff to pinpoint opening, DukeDome to be used to start season ADAMBRAMBIRH STAFF WRTFER The DukeDome will live to see the start of another hockâ€" ey season â€"â€" but that should- n’t be cause for concern for supfiorters of the new $12- mi ‘on Wellington recre anon centre. Barry Braun, the Counâ€" ty’s commissioner of recre- ation, parks, and culture, indicated his staff was meeting with TaskForce Engineering this week to determine an estimated completion date for the p oses of booking hall an ice rentals for the new faciliéx “ e’re thinking about the start of bookings, and for some of these things, es ecially community halls, they're done nearly a year in advance,” he said. "We’re meeting with the contractor and roject managers to set a ate to target.” A With information from those meetings, Braun will be providing council with a status update on the proâ€" 'ect at its Ian. 26 meeting. lVleanwhile fundraising for the community/s anticrpatâ€" ed $1.5 million financial contribution is just below $11 million. . At this point, Braun indicated there is no reason to believe the building Won’t 0 en as anticipate in Octo en The project is about two weeks behind schedule due to some of the wmter weather the county has experienced, but Braun says it is expect- ed that work can be caught up during the spring. In past ears, the Coun- ty has ha ice in Welling- ton in August and Braun says the existing Duke- Dome will open to serve the needs of users until the new facility is fully opera- tional. "We're going to have to operate the ol facility at the start of the season, and the way it’s looking, there will also be some overlap of the two facilities,” Braun explained. He said some time will be needed for staff to be trained to use some of the state-of-the-art automated equipment in the new facilâ€" r . ty Meanwhile, Braun said a substantial portion of the $1.515 million renovations to the Prince Edward Com~ munity Centre in Picton will begin on the building’s interior in March. Primariâ€" ly, the community hall will receive a ”significant retrofit” to modernize it, while some work has already been done u grad- ing the ice area of e 25- year-old facility Up rades to the can- teen, t e lobby, and the flooring are also ongoing. Improvements to the ar - ing area and the buil ing’s exterior will also be underâ€" taken after the skating and hockey season ends. TAKING SHAPE The basic structure of the new Wellington recreation centre is in place and construction has started on the south wall. (Adam Bramburger/Gazette staff) @131): iBittun fiasette THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2010 W.I. SHAKES UP 4-H FUND s t. Domhm is t'hltm Path Tmlee The Prince Edward District Women’s Institute recently donated $5,000 to the Prince Edward County 44H Association to support its fundraising drive for a new milkshake booth \Nith $7,750 previously raised, the fund is now more than halfway to its $20,000 target. The booth is a way for 4â€"H participants to learn and to serve. Here, 4â€"H Association pmident Lynn Ward (far left) and treasurer Sherrie Brown (far right) receive the donation from WI. district president Margaret Squibb, IEft, and craft sale registrar Wilma MCCAgg at Picton Town Hall. The money was raised at the annual Wl. craft sale. (Adam Brambul‘gET/Ca’lmte staff)