10.PRSR 04-14-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2004 C 78 WASHINGTON COUNTY } FOREST LAKE Ice arena's fate to be decided soon BY MEGAN BOLDT Pioneer Press Forest Lake School Board members soon will decide the fate of the Maroon and Gold Arena, a move that could affect many hockey families and fig- ure skaters in the area The aging arena, which is Forest Lake's only indoor sheet of ice, is owned by the school dis- trictand has become more costly to operate. Leaky refrigeration pipes make it harder to produce ice, while furnaces and other equipment need to be updated. Board members have three options when they meet Mon- day night. They could close the arena, open it next fall with existing equipment or open it with anew portable refrigera- tion mat proposed by the Forest Lake Hockey Association. "The thought is that the School Board will keep the arena open if there's a financial plan in place," said Dan Poepard, community education director with the school district. "They're not going to risk gen- eral fund dollars and the educa- tion of kids by sending that money to the arena" Poepard said it's unlikely the board would go for opening the arena "as is" next year. It will cost about $50,000 for repairs to the furnaces, sprinkler system, Zamboni and the interior door. Since the refrigeration pipes wouldn't be replaced, it would mean an additional $65,000 in repairs just to make ice for the season. And ice making could be more expensive in the following years, he said. The Forest Lake Hockey Association voted this week to take on a $165,000 loan to pay for the floor mat system, said Greg Jellum, hockey association board member. The association is working out an agreement with the school district to lease it back to the district for mainte- nance and liability reasons. "I think conceptually every- body is supportive of what we're trying to do," Jellum said this week. The district would foot $50,000 for maintenance repairs. "It's strictly fixing and patch- ing things that need to be done if we're going to open the arena," Poepard said. Poepard said if the arena clos- es, the high school teams proba- bly would have to use the State Fair Coliseum in Falcon Heights for home games The teams would be scram- bling for practice times, but they possibly could use the closed arena at St. Paul's Harding High School, he said Transportation would cost about $26,000 and it wouldn't be convenient, Poepard said. "That's not a really attractive option for these kids," he said. `"that's a hard pill to swallow" Amy Becker coatrihuted to this article.Megan Boldt can 6e reached at 651-228-5495 or mholdt@pioneerpress. coin.