Skaters at the Shelburne County Arena will notice a big difference this year. Upgrades inside the building have taken place with more renovations to come on the exterior. This includes new boards and glass, painting of bleachers and players bench, additional floor mats for skaters to walk on, a new sound system, dressing room washroom upgrades and much more. Municipality of Shelburne Recreation Director and arena committee member Adam Dedrick says the work will extend the life of the 40 year old arena. “It will help increase its profile. It’s an important piece of infrastructure, and we think it’s a big deal to make these improvements. We are showing this community that we want to keep this arena going moving forward.” The upgrades cost over $239,000 with funding coming from the municipality, the town, ACOA and the province. Dedrick says external work like siding repair and painting and replacement of the arena sign still needs to be completed. An opening celebration will take place October 15th at 1:30, followed by a free public skate from 2-4pm.