Water leak causes $250,000 in damages at PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes could soon be back on the ice but the lead-up to an NHL season already has resulted in one costly surprise at PNC Arena.
Some Canes employees returned to work at the arena this month to discover that a water leak in the CanesVision audio/visual control room and server room had caused $250,000 in damages.
The center-hung scoreboard was not operational during Saturday’s N.C. State-Campbell men’s basketball game, the first event in PNC Arena since March because of the pandemic. That wasn’t a huge issue with limited attendance at the game, but there were no video replays on the board for the players, coaches, a few family members and media.
It’s expected the video board will not be fully operational until late January, Centennial Authority executive director Jeff Merritt said in an email sent to authority members.
The authority’s finance and its building and construction committees discussed the issue Monday, recommending that $262,500 be approved for restoring the CanesVision system, including $12,500 in fees for the authority’s audio/visual consultant.
The authority has planned a full renovation of the CanesVision system that will cost $3.3 million. That could be completed in the summer of 2021 and be operational for the fall.
The source of the water damage has not been determined. After an inspection of the roof, six small holes were discovered near but not directly over the control room, which is on the fifth level of the arena. An HVAC system above the room also was inspected.
Merritt noted in his email that some CanesVision employees for Gale Force, the Canes’ parent company, returned from furlough Dec. 7. He was soon informed of the damage.
Merritt noted in his email that insurance could reimburse for some of the equipment replacement.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Water leak causes $250,000 in damages at PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes."
