Arena Renovations

The Thistle Rink will be getting a bit of a face lift this year.

City council has tentatively approved a plan to install new glass and boards around the ice surface at a cost of about 180 thousand dollars.

The work was supposed to be done in 2012, but councillor Chris VanWallenghem says with Kenora hosting the Allen Cup Championshipsnext year, they wanted to fix the arena up prior to that event.

He says the improvements will include glass partitions around the players benches to provide improved security.

Online HST Meeting

Kenora Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton and Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty are teaming up to hold an online NDP town hall meeting.

The meeting will discuss the upcoming harmonized sales tax.

Hampton says the HST will have an impact on previously exempt goods and services.

Viewers will be able to ask questions today by logging onto www.netnewsledger.com

Snowmobile Trails

The Sunset Trailriders is pulling the plug on the snowmobile season inthe Kenora area.

Warm weather and rain this week has damaged groomed trails in thebush and also on area lakes.

Ken Bracken is president of the STR and says they have only a shortwindow of opportunity to remove their trailmarkers.

Bracken says overall it was a disappointing snowmobile seasonhampered by warm weather, a lack of snow, and rain in January.

Accomodation Review Schools

The future of Evergreen Public School is up in the air afterdraft recommendations of an Accommodation Review Committeewere released.

The committee studied five schools and decided that Evergreenwould be the most practical to close.

Patti Letourneau is a concerned parent and says she isn't happyEvergreen has been targeted for closure.

Keewatin Public, Valleyview, Lakewood and King George were alsopart of the Accommodation Review.

The school board won't make a final decision until September.