Renovation Pictures
Week Ending July 15th
Work in the rink resumed this week. Engineering inspections were performed by our structural engineers (Cathro Engineering) and the wood scientists at Quaile Engineering. For a one hundred year old building the structural components are in great shape. Did you know that High Park is probably the oldest steel framed arena in the country. That's right. So the next time you're in the rink take a look upwards and thank the club's builders for having done a great job.
Although the structure is in great shape, a few repairs were necessary and the iron workers at Brothers Iron have been engaged to carry these out. Once these repairs are completed we will be painting the lower portion of the trusses. Soon they'll look as good as new.
Week Ending June 25th
David Wright continues to work on the electrical wiring in the basement. Reg Lee of Flow Works completed the rough in for the plumbing in the new women's basement washroom. Outside, Dave Reid and some minor accompishes (George Ross & Al White) completed the restoration of the cathedral windows in the east wall of the rink. Everything fit perfectly thanks to David's eagle eye and his ability to use a measuring tape. The brick was cleaned and repointed a few years ago so the old approach to the club looks much better now. All it needs is a carriage light over the sign. We're working on that Neill.
Week Ending June 11th
Abbie moved into "her" new office this week. Actually, her new office won't be built until later this fall so for now she'll use the space designated for her assistant and our ice technician. The new pro-shop was also opened for business this week and we immediately had a run on tennis balls.
Also completed was the new foyer at the north entrance. This space is now more open and brighter. There is a new coat room and on the other side a new display case and a storage room for the staff. A big thank you to Dave Reid who worked on many of the finishes.
Week Ending May 27th
Going...going..gone. This period has been all about the rink. Alliance Impex Inc. sent in their most experienced demolition team and in less than a week disposed of the old rink ceiling. First installed in 1967 as a centennial project the t-bar system was built to protect members from falling debris (paint chips, flies, etc.) and those nasty water droplets that would form on the steel trusses above.
Alliance made quick work of the roof. One day removing the tiles, another to demolish the metal frame and then a third to remove the old, obsolete equipment that was scattered around the rink. An old exhaust system from the 20's, a large electric dehumidifier from the 70's and the four gas heaters that have hung from "center ice" since the late 80's. Reg Johnson used to say that he had never seen them actually operating.
Week ending May 14th
Leslie Varga of LCL Contracting continued to work on the new coat & utility rooms which will be located opposite the bar. It's amazing just how much thought and effort has to go into a project of this type. But it's going to look great and we look forward to it being finished soon.
Randy of Swissline Industries was in this week to install the cabinets & trim for the new bar extension. He also installed some new window trim and some finishing trim where the bar meets the floor. And the final "piece de resistance" was the much anticipated brass foot rail. George Ross got first dibs on the rail with Glen Gray coming in a close second.
With the curling season finished and the ice gone, the busy construction season in the rink began. Shawn Flanagan of Artisan Stone cut an opening in the south west wall of the rink. Ken Sutton had two large metal service doors built by Edwards Builders Hardware and these were installed by our very own Dave Reid.
Finally, on Saturday, a dozen volunteers (principally from the Friday & Saturday night curling sections) worked their collective buts off installing a 12,000 square foot temporary wooden floor in order to protect the rink floor from this summer's restoration activities. A new High Park record was set for the most duct tape used in a single club event. The new record of 5,032 feet surpasses the old record by quite a bit. A big thank you to our volunteers: Ken Sutton, Jennifer Webster, Alex MacKenzie, Lisa Anderson, Mike Gregotski, Don Ludlow, Mike Kealey, Anne Marie Maloney, Judy Vineyard & Sam Montesano.
Week Ending April 30th
Most of the construction activity over the past two weeks has been in the bar lounge and the area opposite the bar. The new office and pro shop were completed after a flurry of activity. The walls & ceiling were taped, sanded and painted. The glass windows & doors were installed. Dave Reid cut & installed the trim and the good people from Consumer Carpets finished the floors. The floor behind the bar was also done.
The club also unveiled a new gas fired heater in the bar lounge. Disguised as a fireplace this baby kicks out over 33,000 btu's of heat which will go a long way to making the bar lounge a warm & cozy place during the winter. The fireplace will also help to reduce those outrageous electric heating bills
Week Ending April 14th
The period began with the demolition of the "foyer" - the north entrance to the club's bar lounge. This space will be opened up and made more attractive providing visitors with a very impressive first view of our club. The coat room will be reduced in size and the space created will be used for a badly needed janitor's closet.
After several months of anticipation the new flooring for the club lounges was finally installed. The Consumers Carpet installation teams began by removing the old flooring including the old sub-floor in many places. Repairs were then made to the deck where there had been obvious problems in the past. Once this was completed a new 3/4" plywood sub-floor was installed. This should make the floors nice & solid and as level as is possible. The finished floors went on top - carpet tiles in the lounge areas, heavy duty commercial vinyl tiles in the heavy traffic areas. Consumers Carpet did an amazing job - they were on time and on budget.
Our thanks go out once again to our Day Men volunteers - Paul Yee, George Artemiw, Glen Gray, Sam Montesano, Peter White & George Ross for helping with the furniture -twice. They moved all of the ground floor furniture including the display cases to other areas of the club and then moved it all back again once the new floors were installed. That was a great help and their efforts are very much appreciated.
Week Ending March 26th
We had three inspections this week. The rough in of the plumbing in the new laundry room was approved by the plumbing inspector. The building inspector reviewed the extension to the men’s locker room and the electrical inspector gave his approval to the re-wiring in the basement. That’s three thumbs up in one week. Way to go guys.
Artisan Masonry cut a new entrance to the old laundry room. Doug Pengelly installed the club’s new sound system and Dave Reid made & installed the trim for Abbie’s new office & the pro shop. Veteran renovation volunteers Paul Yee, Sam Montesano, George Artemiw, Peter White, Glen Gray & George Ross moved the ground floor furniture to various locations in the club so that the installation team from Consumer Carpets could begin installing our new floors. Work began on Thursday with the demolition/removal of the old vinyl tiling. Members will see quite a difference in the look of the lounges by the end of the week.
While this has been going on a lot of work has been taking place behind the scenes. The Renovation Steering Committee has given its approval to a new ceiling plan for the rink. This plan was developed by our very own Dave Reid. Architectural drawings for this summer’s renovation schedule are being prepared by our architect Kathleen West, the structural drawings for a small extension to the club house are being readied by Cathro Engineering and the mechanical drawings we need are being prepared by Bob Peckford. There is also a lot of “paperwork” that is being submitted to the government on an ongoing basis in order to prove ourselves worthy of a 60% rebate of eligible expenses. It’s a mountain of work but it will all be worth it in the end.
Week Ending March 12th
Work continued on Abbie’s new office, the new pro shop, the new laundry room and the extension of the men’s locker room. Some work was also being done in the new women’s locker room facility although most of this construction will have to wait until David Wright has re-wired the basement. The old knob & tube and the BX cables are still giving him fits.
As the basement ceilings were still open we decided to run a new gas line to the south end of the club. We don’t have an immediate need for this line but it will be there to meet any future requirements that the club may have. Dave Reid was busy restoring the old wooden beams in the curling lounge and Doug Pengelly was making preparations for the installation of the club’s new sound system. We also ordered the new flooring for the lounges and are hoping to have this installed in time for the Grand Mixed Bonspiel in early April.
Renovation Update
(Week Ending February 26th)
Demolition in the basement continues. Many of the old heating pipes were removed from the ceiling and David Wright managed to "disarm" the old knob and tube wiring that has served the club magnificently over the past 100 years. Still in front of David is the spaghetti mess of BX cables that represent our fire alarm system. It needs to be sorted out and re-wired into the ceiling like we did on the main floor. This is going to take some time and I imagine there will be a lot of profanities heard along the way. Hey, no one said this was going to be easy.
We also installed a new back flow device on the club's water supply. This is now mandatory in Toronto in order to prevent what happened to the good people in Walkerton, Ont. Reg Lee of Flow Works installed the drains for the new women's washroom & the new laundry room. For good measure he installed new floor drains in the old laundry room (our new utility room), the new laundry room and in the north corridor. Floor drains in the basement - wow.
Once this was all done and the plumbing inspector gave us the thumbs up, the Saul Furgiuele Construction Company poured new concrete floors in the women's new washroom as well as in the utility room. I don't think I have ever seen anyone do a better job. Highly recommended.
On the ground floor we finished taping, plastering and sanding the bar lounge. Once that was completed we had the professional painters at John Bell Painting paint the entire ground floor. Dave Reid was seen restoring the old pine posts in the curling lounge. This was a very time consuming process as Dave hand made new ceiling trim for all of these posts. He also carved a HPC crest in wood to cover an old opening for an electrical outlet. He then gave the posts a great finish. The posts look as good as new. Thanks Dave.
Week Ending February 12th, 2010
The bar lounge ceiling was completed this week as were repairs to the west wall. The north and east walls were insulated before being replaced which should make the room more comfortable in the winter. David Wright has almost completed the installation of the new lighting and the room will be painted next week. Unfortunately, the new flooring won't be ready until early March so this project will be delayed a couple of weeks.
In the basement the old concrete floors in the men's old shower room and the former furnace room were removed to allow for the installation of new drains for the women's basement washroom. A trench was also cut in the north basement in advance of the required drain work for the club's new laundry room.
All of the old plumbing pipes and the old rad pipes in these rooms have now been removed. A new cold water supply has been run to the south basement and a new hot water tank has been installed under the south stairwell. David Wright has been getting rid of the old knob & tube wiring and will soon begin re-routing all of the BX cable that is part of the club's fire protection system in this area.
Artisan Stone Masonry removed the block wall that separated the pit from the men's former shower room. They also blocked in a couple of old passages that will no longer be used. While this work was being done we discovered the remnants of an old stairwell to the pit that was first constructed in 1921 and which was abandoned in 1926 after the construction of the south wing of the club house. Part of the demolition revealed wallpaper that may have been installed as early as 1911.
The drains for the laundry room and the women's basement washroom will be laid next week. Once these have been inspected by the city we will pour new concrete floors in these areas. The concrete pad for the club's new compressor was poured this week. The pad for the dehumidifier was poured some time ago.
Week Ending January 29th, 2010
Some minor repairs to the steel beam in front of sheet #1 were completed over the past week. With this work out of the way we will now be able to finish the installation of the new ceiling in this area of the club. The bar lounge received a passing grade from the electrical & building inspectors and with this out of the way we will soon be enclosing that ceiling as well. While this work is being done we will also be insulating the north and east walls of the lounge as well as doing major repairs to the west wall. We should be ready to paint the entire ground floor by mid February.
The first phase of the window replacement program was completed this week. Dundas windows installed seventeen new thermal windows (vinyl) on the north, east & south walls of the club house. The window replacement program will make the club more energy efficient and hopefully feel a bit warmer too.
The demolition of the old "pit" and the men's shower room is now complete. The "pit" was constructed in 1921 and served as the club's "entertainment" room for many many years. Old time members like Pat Monkman & Al Cotton were heard reminiscing about some of the great times they had in the old room - especially those Saturday night poker games. We would like to thank the Day Men section who once again took charge of the demolition work: Ted Mooij, Dave Reid, Paul Yee, Sam Montesano, Glen Gray, Lou Nave, Joe Coneybeare, Howard Stanfield, George Artemiw, George Ross, Lorne McDonald & Peter White. I hope I didn't forget anyone.
There is a lot of old pipes to be removed in the basement and we will be installing a new water line to the south end of the club. We will also be installing a new hot water tank at the south end which should make quite a difference in the women's second floor washroom. Yes ladies, you may soon have hot water.
The bar lounge walls & ceiling will be finished in the next week and then the entire ground floor will be painted (mid February). Once this work has been completed, the next step will be to replace the old vinyl floors - hopefully by the end of February.
Week Ending January 15th
Work continues on the bar lounge. The wiring for the new lighting system was completed by David Wright this week. We also installed the ceiling insulation (fire rated) and the resilient channel so as soon as we have the electrical and building inspections the ceiling can be finished. The deck (floor) has been sanded smooth, screwed down and is now ready for the new sub floor. Once the ceiling and walls have been taped, sanded & primed we will finish the floors.
The club's new security system has been installed by ADT. This should soon allow us to remove those unsightly wires in the curling lounge. In the basement a lot of the old pipes and some vents have been removed. In addition a couple of old gas lines have been replaced and re-routed. This will clean up the ceiling in the north basement quite a bit. The wall to the electrical room was also removed. A new smaller electrical room will be constructed in the coming weeks.
Demolition of the old shower room is almost complete. There is a lot of old knob and tube (electrical) to be replaced and more BX cable to be re-routed through the ceiling. That's going to be a lot of work for David. The concrete floor in this area is to be removed next week which will allow us to begin work on the plumbing for the new women's washroom.
A storage bin was placed in the south parking lot this week and the senior men have already filled it with the contents (locker parts) of the pit.. There is still a bit of work to do but demolition of the pit will begin next week. Scheduled to be finished by the end of March all of this basement construction will lead to the completion of a new women's locker room facility which is to include a much larger locker room and a new washroom/ shower area. The basement renovation will also include an extension of the men's locker room and a new laundry/storage room for staff.
Week Ending December 11th
Work continued on the rink roof replacement project. The south side was completed a couple of weeks ago and by the end of next week we hope the north side will be finished as well.
The new ceiling in the curling lounge was taped, plastered and sanded. Then plastered and sanded again before a coat of sealing white primer was rolled on by B&B Painters. Further renovations to the curling lounge will now have to wait until work in the bar lounge is complete.
Demolition of the 1959 constructed bar lounge has begun with the Day Men's section once again supplying most of the volunteers. Many thanks to High Park members Dave Reid, Howard Stanfield, Paul Yee, Sam Montesano, George Artemiw, Andy Lank, Glen Gray, George Ross & Al White for their efforts in this regard. Guest volunteers included our former bar manager, Mel Cote, who took some pretty serious swings at the old bar with a sledge hammer. The structure resisted at first but in the end was no match for the petite young woman.
This coming week we hope to complete the demolition of the old bar. There is some electrical issues to be worked out and some old plumbing to be dealt with but by early January we expect to start rebuilding the room. At the same time we will be completing the re-wiring of our sound, communication and security systems so that we can finally get rid of the last remaining wires in the curling lounge.
This past week we applied for a building permit for the new women's locker room facility in the basement. The permit application also included a new women's washroom and shower facility to be installed in an adjacent room. The tendering process for this work is underway and we hope to begin construction in late January.
Some smaller projects will also be underway. Two concrete pads are due to be installed (weather permitting) in the next week or so. One of the pads is being installed in the basement of the ice plant building and will support the club's new compressor when it is installed in the spring. The second pad will go in the north parking lot near the rink wall and will be used to support the club's new gas fired dehumidifier which is also due to be installed in the spring.
Renovation Update
(week ending November 27th)
Renovations to the curling lounge continued. The ceiling was insulated and then covered with a layer of fire rated drywall. The area above the viewing glass was insulated as well and finished with a layer of 3/4"plywood and two layers of 5/8" drywall. The plywood will be used to secure the TV monitors for the club's new on ice camera system which is scheduled to be installed later in September.
Next week our drywall contractor (CLC Contracting) will be doing some plastering and sanding in the curling lounge. This work will necessitate the closing of the lounge for a couple of days. We apologize for the inconvenience. Once completed work will begin on renovating the bar lounge (mid December). This will include the construction of Abbie's new office.
This week we poured a new concrete floor in the area formerly occupied by the men's basement washroom. Work on converting this room to a visitor's locker area will begin in the next couple of weeks. The club's new laundry room will be built down the hall at the same time. Early next week we will be making our application to the city for the construction of a new women's locker room facility in the "pit" which will include a new women's washroom and shower area. This work is due to begin in early February.
Work also began on the replacement of the rink roof. C&H Roofing has almost completed reshingling the south side of the roof and will begin the north side (weather permitting) early next week. This will neccessiate the closure of the north lot for a couple of days but only during the day - it won't affect our evening curlers.
Week Ending November 13th
Most of the re-wiring of the curling lounge is now complete. David Wright is still wrestling with a couple of circuits in the fuse box below the old cherry trophy case. Once those are gone we can begin work on the new door to the south stairwell.
Work began on closing up the ceiling in the curling lounge. Leslie Varga and his crew have already installed the fire rated insulation and the furring channel. Next week they will begin boarding it up.
Some smaller projects were also completed. Dave Reid finished installing the new fire door in the south stairwell. This is the sixth door Dave has replaced at the club in the past year. Earlier in the summer he replaced the two doors facing Indian Road and found time to build the vanity & benches for the new men's basement washroom. Thanks Dave.
Glen Gray had a couple of projects completed as well. He levelled the floor in front of the new bar and built a gate in front of the furnace room. Both projects will make the club a bit safer.
These bi-monthly renovation updates have pretty much been about the work to date and I have been asked to include some details on what we can expect to see in the weeks to come. Once we have installed the new ceiling in the curling lounge we are going to close the area known to us as the bar lounge. That space will then be gutted and rebuilt anew. New insulated exterior walls, new windows, a new ceiling, new lighting and a new office where the old bar is located. We will also be installing new floors throughout the club rooms. This work is due to be completed by the end of December.
In the basement work will begin on the extension to the men's locker room and the construction of a new laundry/storage room. Plans are also being finalized for a new women's locker room facility in the basement. This will include new washrooms, showers and additional lockers. Work on the facility is to begin in late January.
New construction in an older building is always a messy and time consuming process. We apologize for any inconvience.
Wires, Wires, So many Wires
(week ending October 23rd)
David Wright continues to re-wire the curling lounge and connecting areas of our Club. It has been a battle royale - the dedicated electriction vs. the old knob & tube wiring that was first installed at our Club in 1911. A lesser man would have given up long ago but David takes it in stride, one day at a time.
As I watch I can't help but feel discouraged. There are fuse boxes everywhere and the circuits they control don't seem to make any sense. A light in the basement is controlled from a fuse box on the ice. The light next to it by a fuse box in the ceiling and the light beside it from a control panel some place else. It's enough to drive an electrician to drink (rye prefered - but only after hours).
If the old knob & tube wiring wasn't enough for David to handle, there is also the miles of RX cable that wraps itself around the walls of the curling lounge. These cables were installed in the early 1980's and feed power to the smoke detectors, heat sensors and alarms that make up our fire warning system. One by one David has been unravelling these wires and routing them through the ceiling. One by one they will disappear and before long they will all be gone. Wires, wires, so many wires.
Week ending October 3rd
The new bar was up and running for the beginning of the curling season thanks to the efforts of David Wright, Rob Ross and the good people from Swissline. Abbie is to be congratulated for making some tough decisions when things didn't quite go as planned. So is her staff for the seamless move to the new location. There is still a bit of work to be done and I imagine there will be a bit of "tweaking" on the operating side but the change is nice to see. Well done to all.
The ceilings in the curling lounge remain open and will be for some time. There is a lot of wiring to do and this will be our only opportunity to hide it all. David Wright is replacing all of the old knob & tube wiring, installing new lighting & receptacles and hiding all of that cable associated with the fire panel. He estimates it will take two hundred hours or about five man weeks to complete the job.
While the ceiling is open ADT will be re-wiring the club's security system. Chrys Czulo will be overseeing the installation of a new P.A./sound system and some preparatory work will be done for the on ice cameras and monitors that will be installed next summer. This work should be done by the end of October and we will be closing the ceiling shortly thereafter.
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Week ending August 28th
The men's basement washroom has been completed. The old basement washroom has been demolished as well as the old shower area and plans will soon be developed to renovate those areas. The new entrance to the men's locker room has been cut and we will be finishing that room later in the fall. Converting the old shower room and the pit into a women's locker room facility complete with a washroom and showers will be completed this winter as well.
Converting the space once occupied by the men's ground floor washroom became a bigger challenge than we had anticipated. As for the new bar, a design was chosen which is compatible with the period and the houses in the area. It is being assembled at the club and should be ready in time for the curling season.
Because of our success in obtaining the RInC/REC funding we have decided to replace the ceilings as well as the floor in the curling and bar lounges. After the ceilings have been demolished David Wright will be removing all of the old knob & tube wiring (some of which is still very active). He will also be re-routing the wires hanging from the rink's west wall, along the viewing glass and above the windows facing the lawns. These ugly eyesores will be eliminated or buried in the new ceiling.
Replacing the ceilings will give us the opportunity to improve the lighting in the lounge areas. We will also be installing the wires for a new sound system and a PA system at the same time. This work will not be finished in time for the curling season but will extend well into October or the early part of November. Once finished we will tackle the floors. Work for the new office and the new ground floor washrooms will get underway in the spring.
Week ending July 24th
The men's new basement washroom is now open and the tennis section will be happy to learn that their new showers will be ready by mid week. Demolition of the old men's basement washroom was completed this week (see pictures). A big thank you to Douglas Ayres, Kevin Scott, Al White, George Ross & Ken Nakamura for all their hard work. Plans call for this area to be turned into a visitors locker room. A new entrance will be cut into the north wall which will link the men's locker room to the new men's washroom.
On the main floor work continues on the site for the new bar. A new sub-floor was laid a couple of weeks ago and this past week David Wright completed roughing in the electrical. The club also received the new bar fridges that were on order and not too soon as the old draft fridge finally gave out. Tim from Swissline Industries was at the club this week to take the final measurements for the new bar. They have promised to have the bar built and installed in six weeks. That means if all goes well we should be up and running by early September - in time for the opening of the curling season.
Work hasn't been limited to the club house. George Ross and Glen Gray were busy doing some preliminary work on a new ice pad for the ice scrapper (in back of sheet #5). Dave Reid & Douglas Ayres were hard at work replacing the doors fronting Indian Road. Once the new transom is installed (they're waiting for Jim Cochrane to paint it in his workshop) the entrance to the ice maker's building will have a fresh, new look.
Lastly, that unsightly old vent that ran above the viewing windows on the rink's west wall was removed this week. It was part of the reason for the condensation problems we were having in back of sheets #1 & 2. There is still a lot of work to be done. Some electrical cables will have to be moved, the wall needs to be insulated and the old wood fascia restored. Once completed the wall should look great.
Main Floor Week of May 11
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Downstairs washrooms - week of May 4 - Rough In Work
