Sunflower Gardens, the arena in Altona, will be winter-ready four days earlier than last year.

Crews have started preparing the local rink for ice installation, and according to Ron Epp, Recreation Director, the facility at the Millennium Exhibition Centre is set to open for the season on Wednesday, September 26th.

"It feels like a very swift turnover from closing the pool on the (September) long weekend and then firing up the ice plant shortly," he said.

The whole process of installing ice takes about one week to do.

"You have to start with a clean floor...and then you need to run the ice plant to cool it down. Essentially it takes...many many layers of putting water down, putting the white ice paint down, putting all of the lines down. Once that's in place you put more layers (of water) down and then you start building it up with the Zamboni," explained Epp.

It'll be Altona Minor Hockey occupying most of those first few days of ice-time. The organization plans to run a hockey school.

Epp added that local hockey and skating clubs are the main users of the ice, but did mention that some regional teams practice at the arena as well.

He said there will once again be free public skating this winter thanks to the support of several local sponsors.