The first skates have hit the ice at Prescott’s new Alaine Chartrand Community Centre.
The Town of Prescott hosted a grand opening ceremony for the facility on the weekend, where Mayor Gauri Shankar thanked everyone who helped make its construction happen.
“Whether you were running a lemonade stand and donating the proceeds, whether you were buying a brick, or you had a GoFundMe page, every dollar counted, and every dollar was appreciated” Shankar said.
Alaine Chartrand, the two-time national figure skating champion the arena was named after, said she was inspired to compete by local Hockey Hall of Famer Leo Boivin, the old arena’s namesake.
“You never know,” she said. “This rink may be home to the next figure skating champion, like myself, or [local skater] Matthew Markelle, or the next NHL hockey star, like Ben Hutton or Leo Boivin.”
If you want to visit the new arena, you can find it at 900 Sophia Street.