Inside the Eagle Builders Centre in Blackfalds. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

cut from original design

Acoustics upgrades coming to Blackfalds’ Eagle Builders Centre

Mar 15, 2022 | 12:19 PM

The Eagle Builders Centre (EBC) in Blackfalds is already getting an important upgrade, despite opening to the public just last fall.

The Town of Blackfalds says it has received and heard many a complaint over the last several months pertaining to the arena’s sound quality — particularly about how much of an echo there is.

Acoustic panels were removed as part of value engineering when the facility was in the design stage.

Sean Barnes, who oversaw the building’s construction for the Town, is now manager of the EBC, and explains that when the arena’s budget was at over $28 million, council charged admin with finding a way to get that down to about $25 million.

Acoustics were a victim of the trimming that followed.

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“We kind of knew we’d have to come back to council and say we need to put acoustics in,” says Barnes. “We knew we may have problems, but also wanted to see what it was like once we opened.”

The feedback has been resounding, the Town says.

Earlier this winter, the Town put out a Request for Proposals (RFP), with a deadline of March 1.

Three submissions were received, with Resolve Acoustics out of Edmonton earning the contract at a price point of just over $160,000. They also offered a $133,000 option, while Edmonton-based Western Noise Control gave two options at $249,000 each, and Red Deer’s Timcon Construction’s two choices came in at $342,000 and $355,000.

What will be used to cover the cost is a previously approved budget amount of $175,000, which was for the purpose of buying the arena a glass lifter, glass railing and flooring for winter-time non-ice sport events.

Council unanimously agreed to remove the approximate $160,000 cost for the flooring and use it for the acoustics instead. The remaining $15,000 will still purchase the lifter and railing, which are important for the arena to be able to host large events.

Barnes says the cost of the winter flooring will more than likely come back for budget approval for the 2023 fiscal year.