The Pioneer Arena will soon be no more.
Demolition has begun in earnest on the venerable Castlegar rink at 925 Columbia Avenue, which was built over several years in the 1950s. Since the construction of the recreation complex in the mid-1970s, the Pioneer has served as a secondary ice surface. In 2016, it was marked for closure due to aging infrastructure.
However, the building kept operating until 2023, when the city announced that medical offices and a housing project would be built on site. Following a public outcry, the Pioneer received a one-year reprieve, but finally closed in March of this year.
It is one in a series of major demolition projects currently underway in the West Kootenay. Others include the former C.S. Williams clinic in Trail, the old Glenmerry Elementary, and the former Beaver Valley Middle School in Fruitvale.
The City of Castlegar also recently awarded a contract to tear down the Eremenko block downtown to make way for a new housing project, while crews in Trail will soon begin removing the old Eaton’s block as well.
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