Anyone who has spent time in any small Canadian town knows that the local rink is often the community hub.

That’s definitely the case for the Lloyd Orchard Community Arena in Miami, Man. The rink has been welcoming local and visiting patrons from across the province since 1952, offering space for recreational hockey, public skating and provincial hockey tournaments.

After nearly 70 years of use, the rink needed some upgrades, including a fresh coat of paint. Pembina Co-op was happy to support the renovation project with the Communities in Full Colour program.

“Working with Co-op was a great experience,” said Brian Weir, Lloyd Orchard Community Arena President. “Their customer service is always excellent. They were very helpful during the application process and in implementation.”

The co-op was excited to support the arena, said Stuart Schellenberg, Manager at the Pembina Co-op Home Centre in St. Claude, Man.

“The Miami arena is located in the heart of the Pembina Co-op trading area. The community is within a 20-minute drive in almost every direction of a Pembina Co-op location,” said Schellenberg. “They’ve been raising money for a large renovation for a number of years and finally were able to get started. We’re happy to be part of this project with them.”

Co-op donated approximately 90 gallons of CO-OP^® Imagine paint to assist with the renovation, and the results were transformative! Before the renovation, the Miami arena had gone 15 years without any touch-ups and was in desperate need of some TLC.

“The completion of our renovation has really breathed new life into the Lloyd Orchard Community Arena,” said Weir. “The building improvements will vastly contribute to the overall enjoyment of our facility.”

Weir said the renovation has greatly improved the safety and cleanliness of the building, with the most notable part of the transformation being large, bright, inviting change rooms and washrooms.

“These improvements will help keep community members and patrons excited to come to the arena,” he added.

Communities in Full Colour provides paint for projects that improve the wellbeing of communities and contributes to important causes, and the Lloyd Orchard Community Arena was a wonderful candidate. This renovation will help the arena serve the community for years to come!