As the nomination deadline for Dundas Sports Wall of Fame’s third class of inductees approaches, planning and fundraising is underway for the new Hockeyville Legacy Community Room of the renovated J.L. Grightmire Arena — where it will have a permanent home.

Wall of Fame committee member Art Samson said nomination forms are available at Dundas town hall municipal service centre (60 Main St.), Dundas Community Services (2 King St. W.) and Dundas Museum & Archives (139 Park St. W.). Nominations can be returned to all three locations until Sept. 30.

“I would say they’re light,” Samson said of the pool of nominations submitted for the class of 2020 since July, but the committee does not plan to extend the deadline.

 

The unfinished, bare bones Hockeyville Legacy community room on J.L. Grightmire’s second floor, as it looked on Aug. 29 prior to the arena re-opening to the public, is expected to be completed by April in partnership between the city and community, and provide a permanent home for the Dundas Sports Wall of Fame. - Craig Campbell/ Torstar

 

A view of the ice from the second floor Hockeyville Legacy community room. - Craig Campbell/ Torstar

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As the nomination deadline for Dundas Sports Wall of Fame’s third class of inductees approaches, planning and fundraising is underway for the new Hockeyville Legacy Community Room of the renovated J.L. Grightmire Arena — where it will have a permanent home.

Wall of Fame committee member Art Samson said nomination forms are available at Dundas town hall municipal service centre (60 Main St.), Dundas Community Services (2 King St. W.) and Dundas Museum & Archives (139 Park St. W.). Nominations can be returned to all three locations until Sept. 30.

“I would say they’re light,” Samson said of the pool of nominations submitted for the class of 2020 since July, but the committee does not plan to extend the deadline.

Nominees remaining from the first two classes will be considered when the committee meets in October, but new nominations before Sept. 30 are encouraged.

Samson said the second class of inductees, announced in May 2018, will be officially inducted in a ceremony at Grightmire Arena in November.

After more than a year of delays, Grightmire Arena’s official grand reopening was set for Saturday, Sept. 14 — featuring the 60th season opener of the Dundas Blues Junior Hockey Club.

The Hockeyville Legacy Community Room was always planned to be completed as a community project, after the City of Hamilton and its contractors finished the addition.

A Hockeyville Legacy Foundation was formed and registered as a charity in 2012 to raise money to finish the multi-use room.

According to a registered charity information return, it had raised $29,076 by the end of June 2018. Foundation member Carl Fraser said the total raised to date is about $70,000 and the group’s goal is $300,000 in funds and in-kind donations.

The plan for the community room includes a kitchen, interactive video displays for the sports wall of fame, and potential technology for minor sports education and training.

Fraser said the point is to create a space for community use, particularly local minor sport organizations, but also for other organizations.

Because of delays to the project, and the city negotiating a financial settlement with the project’s lead contractor for incomplete or deficient work, city facilities director Rom D’Angelo said the city is considering ways it may be able to provide previously unplanned support for completion of the second floor community room.

Details of any potential settlement, and financial credit received by the city, have so far remained confidential.

During a tour of the arena on Aug. 29, D’Angelo said he couldn’t comment yet on any potential financial settlement as negotiations with the former contractor were still in progress.