The PMD Arena's New Ice Was Phase One. The Hall Is Phase Two.

This season the ice at the PMD Arena on Main Street West in Drayton is being cleaned by a machine with no exhaust. The township's new Olympia Millennium E is a Canadian-made electric ice resurfacer with a built-in laser levelling system, and the Township of Mapleton's recreation staff say it runs "quietly and without exhaust emissions." Under it is a new skate floor and ice surface. The concession has a longer menu that now includes breakfast. New decals in the ice carry the names of Drayton Minor Hockey, Drayton Figure Skating, Reach Forth Hockey and the Township of Mapleton.

The township will hold a grand reopening of the ice pad on Saturday, November 28, at 7 p.m. In the same weeks, Mapleton is lining up a second, larger project in the same building. It would turn the community hall into a gymnasium with a walking track above the court. The rink was rebuilt first, and the plan is to keep it open while the hall is rebuilt around it.

What the summer work actually replaced

Council's October 27 report on the arena, Report REC 2026-06, lists what Ball Construction finished during the spring and summer of 2026:

• A full refrigeration retrofit
• A new skate floor and ice surface
• New dasher boards, glass and vertical netting
• Staircase improvements
• A new rubberized, skate-proof floor, installed under the facility's warranty

The skate-proof floor has been replaced twice now. The report says the first warranty replacement was last fall, and the new floor is meant to "withstand heavy skate traffic for years to come."

The summer had its hold-ups. The Wellington Advertiser reported in July that crews had already torn out the old concrete slab and piping. Then, on June 30, high humidity made the site unsafe and the new concrete pour was stopped. That meant several weeks of remedial work before the slab could be poured again. The contractor overlapped later steps to shrink a six-week setback to about three weeks, and officials said at the time the rink would be ready by September. The concrete under this season's ice comes from that revised pour.

Council approved the overall cost at $2,944,782, which covers consulting engineering and the non-refundable share of HST. Part of it is paid with a 20-year debenture of $1,833,433 issued through the County of Wellington, which the report says will add about $133,000 in new debt servicing to the township's 2027 operating budget.

The ice is in use ahead of the party

You don't have to wait for November 28 to skate. The township's events calendar listed weekly public sessions at the arena all through October 2026:

The reopening falls on a Saturday at 7 p.m., the same slot the October calendar gave to public skating. The township's Public Ice Times page says the arena at 68 Main St W offers public ice weekly from fall to spring and sends skaters to the events calendar for current times. Check the calendar before you go, especially in November and December, when tournaments and holiday schedules can move sessions around.

The weekday ice is also busy with clubs. The Drayton & District Figure Skating Club lists PreCanSkate, CanSkate and junior, intermediate and senior sessions on its October calendar. Drayton Minor Hockey runs teams from U5 through U15, plus powerskating groups.

The hall is the bigger change

The new ice brings an old rink up to current standards. The community centre project would add something Mapleton's halls have never had.

In August the federal government announced up to $4,777,344 for the PMD Arena and Community Centre through the Direct Delivery stream of the Build Communities Strong Fund. The Township of Mapleton's announcement says the money is for a new multi-sport and community space, better accessibility and more energy-efficient building systems. The same release says the funding still depends on a signed contribution agreement and other federal requirements.

The Wellington Advertiser reported the design details. The current community hall would become a gymnasium, with a second-floor walking track circling the court below, and the expansion would add 3,800 square feet. CAO Manny Baron told the paper that the township has three community halls and none has an indoor court for ball sports.

So the expansion means more than extra square footage. Right now the only indoor surface at the PMD Arena built for sport is the ice. Once the hall becomes a gym, the building would have a court for ball sports and a track overhead that could be used in any season.

The Advertiser put the full project at $12.8 million and reported that Mapleton's share, about $8.1 million, would come from reserves, development charges and a 20-year loan, according to the paper's reporting. The township is now carrying two debts tied to this building. The ice debenture goes into the 2027 budget, and the expansion loan would follow it.

Baron also made clear in the Advertiser's report that the design is still open:

"This is not a done deal; we expect and want public feedback."

The paper reported that Quebec-based architect CIMA had the design about one-third done in August, that the township plans information sessions to collect feedback, and that final designs are expected by the end of the year.

The dates between now and 2028

The project picked up speed in late October. On October 22, Mapleton posted RFP 2026-14 to hire a construction manager. The scope lists a new addition and, "as applicable to the final design," a multi-sport gymnasium, an indoor walking or running track, programming spaces, accessibility improvements and site work. The RFP package includes a 30 percent design and a Class C estimate.

Here's how the calendar lines up from this week:

1. November 9, noon: deadline for questions from firms bidding on the construction manager contract
2. November 19, 2 p.m.: the RFP closes
3. November 28, 7 p.m.: grand reopening of the ice pad
4. By the end of 2026: final designs expected, with public information sessions planned around them
5. Summer 2027: the earliest construction could start, after the Drayton Farm Show and the Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation gala
6. Spring or summer 2028: expected completion

The bid window closes nine days before reopening night. So by the time people gather to celebrate the new ice, the township should have proposals in hand from firms that want to build the next phase.

The plan is built around the hall's current events. Construction is timed to start after two of the building's major summer events, and the Advertiser reported that the arena is expected to stay open for the ice season while construction goes on. If the schedule holds, the winter of 2027-28 is the one season when skaters will share the building with construction crews working on the hall.

The public information sessions haven't been scheduled yet. When they are, they're the chance to weigh in on the gym and the walking track, and the Township of Mapleton news page is where announcements like the August funding release are posted. For more on Drayton, Moorefield, Alma and the rest of the township, see our Mapleton neighbourhood page.

Ivan Gascho spent more than two decades building custom homes before he went into real estate. If you're weighing a Mapleton property and want someone who looks at the structure and the mechanical systems as closely as the finishes, The Gascho Group is happy to walk through it with you. Make Your Next Move With Confidence.