The City of St. John’s has withdrawn all allegations of building code violations against the operators of the D.F. Barnes Arena.
The Celtics Centre Hockey Corporation was established by the Avalon Celtics Minor Hockey Association four years ago to buy and run the rink, the former Feildian Gardens.
They were working on upgrades on the aging facility, after securing federal funding.
But inspections back in the spring led to charges alleging 19 violations of St. John’s property bylaws.
Problems were found with everything from emergency and exit lighting, to handrails, low headroom in places, fire alarms, the ventilation system and electrical issues.
Last month, a lawyer for the city suggested the situation could be resolved if the Celtics Corp. addressed and rectified those issue, which court was told they were working hard to do—leading to the withdrawal of the charges this week.
The Avalon Celtics took over the rink with city assistance, included a $400,000 interest-free loan and $2.5-million mortgage guarantee.
In May, shortly after the inspections were completed, the city stepped in again, paying off the remaining $2.3 million that was owed on the mortgage.