Dieppe's $31M UNIplex undergoing repairs for leaky roof

The roof on Dieppe's new UNIplex arena is leaking water, just over a year after the $31-million facility officially opened its doors.

Julie Albert, a spokesperson for the city, said repairs are underway and the supplier is working to identify and correct the source of the problem. 

"The roofing is still under warranty and the municipality has not paid any amount for these repairs," she said in an email.

Buckets collecting dripping water can be spotted in the hallways of the complex during and after rainstorms.

The UNIplex includes two NHL-size ice surfaces, a greenhouse, community kitchen and meeting rooms as well as a walking track. The project took a decade to realize and about two years to construct. 

The complex replaced the aging Centennial Arena, built in 1967, because of safety concerns over its roof. It was demolished.

Construction on the new UNIplex broke ground in 2019 on College Street on the former site of two baseball fields and across the road from Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick. 

The cost of the project swelled $1.5 million over the initial projection, after the impact of U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and wood products. The federal and provincial governments contributed $16.8 million, with donations from a volunteer group and the city covering the rest of the cost.

Supply chain delays

Pomerleau Inc., a Quebec-based construction firm, built the UNIplex.

The city said the arena's roofing supplier is a subcontractor of the company, and is offering the warranty.

Albert said there have been some challenges in sourcing materials for the repairs due to the pandemic, which had a temporary impact on the work.

"It is not unusual for challenges to arise after the opening of a new building," she wrote in an emailed statement. "It happened after the construction of the Arthur-J-LeBlanc Arena and the Aquatic Centre."