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City Council Minutes <br />August 7, 2017 <br />Page 5 <br />Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councihnember <br />Westgaard to adopt Resolution 17-42 encouraging the people of Elk River to <br />attend the grand opening of the Minnesota State Capitol. Motion carried 5-0. <br />7. Public Hearings <br />There were no public hearings. <br />8.1. Ice Arena Architectural Services <br />Mr. Portner presented the staff report. <br />Council noted, prior to the referendum, they had discussed what next steps would be <br />necessary, if the referendum failed, due to the need to fix failing city buildings having <br />reached their lifespan. <br />Councilmember Olsen questioned the status of Lions Park Center. <br />Mr. Pormer stated the plan would be to add some community space to the arena <br />facility. He stated it would replace the community space of Lions Park Center. He <br />noted Lions Park Center is also in need of repairs. He stated the new footprint of the <br />arena will take out the girls' softball field, so it will be moved to Lion John Weicht <br />Park with an additional field constructed for ease of programming. <br />Mayor Dietz expressed the following: <br />• During discussions, prior to the referendum, repair costs to the arena were <br />estimated at approximately $12-15 million. Current data shows the arena <br />would now cost about $21 million, plus $3.5 million if the activity center is <br />revamped or $1.75 million if it is moved to the YMCA. <br />• He would consider another referendum. <br />• This is a huge impact to tax payers. <br />■ Receiving comments from the public about youth hockey's contribution. <br />■ Receiving comments about other sources of revenue available to pay for the <br />arena. Why should all residents have to pay for a hockey arena? <br />• New arena concepts don't illustrate community space. <br />• Where is the city at with the YMCA regarding the activity center? <br />Mr. Portner discussed the three options originally proposed by the task force for <br />repairing city buildings. <br />a) Construction of a new multipurpose facility referendum projected to cost <br />$30 - $33.5 million. <br />b) Improvements to existing facilities consistent with stakeholder expectations <br />were projected to $23 - $32 million <br />c) The last option included basic repairs and improvements to keep the existing <br />buildings functioning projected to be about $10 million <br />NATURE <br />