Hamilton city council digest

The completion of renovations to the city's oldest arena have been pushed out until at least mid-November. Repeated delays have dogged the $7-million upgrade of the J.L. Grightmire Arena and forced local hockey and figure skating groups to scramble for other arrangements. The Dundas arena was supposed to be open for business in September, then later October. City staff said the project contractor blamed a series of "extreme" hot and cold weather days for the delay, as well as delivery problems for a special HVAC system. Councillors expressed frustration with the delays and asked staff to bring back options to introduce harsher penalties for contractors who don't meet deadlines on important community projects. "I am very distressed by this," said Dundas Coun. Arlene Vanderbeek, who noted community groups have expressed frustration about the scramble to find ice surfaces as well as lost revenue. A city report recommended moving all Grightmire events to other arenas until at least January and waive fees for affected teams.