The Jasper Local December 15, 2017

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tuesday, december 19, 2017 // ISSUE 111

ALPINE START // COOL TEMPERATURES AND LOW PRECIPITATION HAVE MADE FOR A MEMORABLE YEAR OF WILD SKATING. ART JACKSON GLIDES THROUGH A HOAR FROST FOREST ON MALIGNE LAKE. // EDDIE WONG EXPLOREJASPER.COM

Arena all clear after asbestos scare An asbestos scare in the Jasper Arena closed the facility for three days and cost the municipality booking fees and clean-up charges. On December 5, an Occupational Health and Safety Officer from the provincial government visited the Jasper Arena to conduct an inspection. During the site visit, the officer identified vermiculite insulation—material he was concerned may contain asbestos. The arena was immediately closed and a specialized contractor was brought in to conduct air testing. “The test results showed no trace of asbestos,” said Christine Nadon, Legislative Services Manager for the Municipality of Jasper. Despite the all-clear, the rink was shut down on December 6 until December 8 and the rink had to foot the bill to clean the equipment of two local hockey teams.

For years, the Barley Kings commercial hockey team and the D’ed Dogs mens’ league have kept their gear in two storage units underneath the arena bleachers. As a precaution against asbestos contamination, Arena Manager Peter Bridge had both teams’ equipment washed by a company specializing in decontamination. Bridge doesn’t have the final bill yet, but indicated it wasn’t an inexpensive hit. No one knows when the Barley Kings and the D’ed Dogs hockey equipment was last washed. “If it wasn’t clean then, it is now,” Bridge said. The municipality had previously tested for asbestos in 2005 and 2009. Bridge, who spends a lot of time in the arena, plans to have the air re-tested for his own peace of mind. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com


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