The City of Lacombe has officially decided on a contract for the supply and installation of new sound panels in arena one of the Gary Moe AutoGroup Sportsplex.

Seal Team will be performing the installation and supply of sound panels at a total value of $93, 391. Parkland Audio was selected for the installation and supply of the upgraded speakers for a total value of $51,112. 

The city has been working on improving the sound of the arena for over a year now to accommodate sports games and other events. To really tackle the sound issues, the city had to perform a few tests to break down where some of the sound issues were coming from. 

“The sound study was the first thing and it was important to do that so we could really determine the problem and the level of the problem and then also simulate some changes that we could make and find out the results before spending any money which is really great. So we did that first and made sure that we had the solutions nailed down,” explained Debra Juch, Director of Community Services for the City of Lacombe.

Juch noted that the sound reverberations made spoken words inaudible which becomes a big problem for announcers. Based on the sound study, a number of installations will be conducted in the Sportsplex in the coming weeks to improve the sound quality within the arena one. 

“The first thing that has to happen is sound absorption and that is in the form of panels that basically absorb sound and their cloth and they prevent the reverberations,” said Juch. 

“We do also have some roof infrastructure you have to work around, for example sprinkler systems and so on. So we’ll be doing the most we can do in that respect. It won’t be perfect but it will be an awful lot better.”

Fortunately, with the facility being closed to limit the spread of COVID-19 the work can be started right away. The only issue that remains is that some new equipment may have issues with shipping during the pandemic. 

“We’re in a kind of sad time right now we can’t really get together and go anything in our facilities they are closed and everything is cancelled but soon it will happen. It was always planned for the off-season anyway which is summertime. It happens to coincide with an overall facility closure,” said Juch. 

Once the reverberations are dealt with, new speakers will also be installed to improve sound quality even further. Juch is excited to see the sound improve for events like the AA Generals games and Bullarama which are two events she believes will be improved by a greater sound system. 

“The announcements and the sound system is important to their games. It’s really important for their games and the quality of the enjoyment of the spectators. I am hoping that it increases the spectator numbers and then that also helps the city’s revenue because we do get a seat tax as it were,” said Juch. 

The Lacombe City council hopes the improved facility will draw more entertainment events to the city and its’ citizens.