08-18-2015 ICE MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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Arena Commission Minutes Page 3 August 18,2015 • Commissioner Westgaard inquires if we have a list of consultants who will possibly handle the RFP—as he believes it would be beneficial to use the one that helped with the arena renovation plans few years earlier. Arena Manager Czech noted that either Skyline and Helzberg or the 292 group have a history with the arena. Commissioner Cunningham states as a district, they would prefer if the arena stayed close to the school, and that the city should consider landswaps such as the one that recently went through that will allow the high school to build on the arena's current east lot. In return, the City received some of the high school's lot which will be reconfigured to be arena parking only. He notes that a new location shouldn't be limited to land where the city already has buildings. Commissioner Westgaard inquires if the RFP can be completed by the end of the year. Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker notes they will certainly have a consultant hired by the end of the year,and that it is possible that it would be completed by the end of December. He inquires about help from the school district. Commissioner Westgaard replies help from the district hasn't happened by now, and the city needs to move forward. • Commissioner Cunningham notes the field to the west of the barn is being skinned as it was in really bad shape. It is getting new drain tile and won't be useable for 1.5-2 years which makes it challenging as field space is already at a premium in Elk River. 7.2 Olympic Rink Repairs Arena Manager Rich Czech reviews the two sheets of ice and their repairs over the years. He notes the Olympic Rink was built in 1997 and is a direct system that used 6500 lbs of refrigerant. The system is beyond it's lifespan of 30 years, as it was used when the city purchased it. A leak was discovered in the floor which resulted in pressure tests needing to be performed and pipe repairs done. The refrigeration system had several leaks in the vessel. The estimated costs were $65,890 however the total ended up being more. There was no lost ice revenue, as the ice was put back on the barn side,however there was a loss of$4,000-$5,000 in dry floor revenue. Since the repairs, another minor leak has been found which will continue to happen with a system of this age. Czech believes the cost of refrigeration will start to go up again. He adds there is another Mighty Ducks grant available to help offset the cost of changing out refrigeration systems from R22. He believes the arena would be a prime candidate,but that he suspects the grants will not be extended much beyond 2015. • PB , EREB BY NATURE