Brock Township council has followed through on its plan to apply for $5.5 million in funding for an expansion and overhaul of the Sunderland Memorial Arena.

The Township recently submitted the application for infrastructure funding through the provincial and federal governments.

The project – which includes an expansion of the ice surface, new boards and glass, two new accessible changerooms, four new changerooms, additional storage rooms, upgrades to the refrigeration system and renovations to the front lobby and washrooms – is estimated at $6.9 overall.

“In a nutshell, the renovated Sunderland Memorial Arena will be like a modern new facility for half the price of a newly built community centre,” said Ward 5 Councillor Lynn Campbell.

Proposed by the village’s Lions Club, which has offered up $500,000 for the project, the renovations were previously estimated at $3.9 million.

Though the revised estimate drew some concern from council members, they voted in favour of proceeding with a grant application.

“We need to make sure that when the Province announces funding, we are ready to go with this…If we do any back-pedaling, I’m going to argue with you all night,” Mayor Bath-Hadden said at the time.

Coun. Campbell noted that development charges, coupled with other donations, could be utilized to cover a great deal of the municipal share.

“We don’t want to miss this opportunity,” she said back in April.