Granite Curling Club cancels 2022-23 season for repairs

The 2022-23 season has been completely swept away at the Granite Curling Club in Saskatoon.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the club’s board of directors announced the plan to cancel the entire schedule after unexpected brine leaks surfaced, following weeks of repairs.

Club president Sheryll Main said it was a tough decision, saying she was heartbroken the club had to cancel events for the year but she didn’t want to end up with any other surprises after events were booked.

“How many other leaks are we going to get through the season?” Main said.

General manager Dallas Burnett said costs would continue adding up if the club needed to make repairs throughout a normal season.

“Depending on how many leaks there is, it could be $20,000 to $40,000 extra a year to fix,” Burnett said.

It isn’t a quick repair either, he added.

“We hire it out, and there’s a few different companies within Saskatchewan, and they also have three other curling clubs plus hockey rinks that they all do, plus some grocery store refrigeration … Time-wise, though, it takes at least two weeks, minimum,” Burnett said.

The club is still in the early stages of the process and is still waiting for more information, specifically the cost. Once that is determined, it will need to explain the situation to club members.

“We have to get an estimate and what the repair cost is going to be. And we have to take this to our membership,” Main said.

She’s heard from a few members who were very sad about the decision, and said her phone has been blowing up all day.

There was some slightly good news, however, as Burnett said curlers will still be able to find ice time this year.

“There are clubs taking some members who we can’t accommodate this year,” Burnett said, noting he has been in contact with other facilities to help the process along.

More details and information about timelines will be released after the annual general meeting in early November.

The Granite Kitchen will remain open, even though the schedule has been cleared.