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08-21-2012 ICE MIN MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER ICE ARENA COMMISSION HELD AT CITY HALL August 2I st , 2012 6:00pm Members Present: Chair Martin,Vice Chair Johnson, Commissioners, Cunningham, Gumphrey Members Absent: Commissioner Nziolek Staff Present: Arena Manager Rich Czech, Arena Assistant Laura Estby, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hecker, City Administrator Cal Portner 1. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof,the meeting of the Elk River Ice Arena Commission was called to order at 6:05 p.m. by Chair Martin. 2. Consider 8/21/12 Special Ice Arena Commission Agenda MOTIONED BY VICE CHAIR JOHNSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GUMPHREY TO APPROVE THE August 21st, 2012 ICE ARENA COMMISSION AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 3. Approve 4/17/12 Ice Arena Commission Minutes MOTION BY VICE CHAIR JOHNSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISIONER CUNNNINGHAM TO APPROVE THE APRIL 17TH, 2012 ARENA COMMISSION MINUTES. MOTION PASSES 4-0. 4. Approve 7/12/12 Ice Arena Commission Minutes MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CUNNINGHAM AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GUMPHREY TO APPROVE THE JULY 12TH, 2012 ARENA COMMISSION MINUTES. MOTION PASSES 4-0. s. Open Mike None 1 6. 2012 Financial Update Arena Manager Rich Czech reviews the recent financial update. 7. Arena Renovation Arena Manager Czech states that on August 13th,he presented the 4 options discussed in the July meeting to the City Council. He said that a lively discussion ensued and that he believes the council is aware of where the Arena Commission stands on the issue. Mayor John Dietz has requested a performance evaluation of each option- and in addition the council suggested added another option(#5)which would be to tear down the current facility and rebuild from scratch, possibly in a different location. This would eliminate retrofitting issues, as well as solve all of the problems at once. It was also discussed that if moved,there might be additional amenities added to the facility. Commissioner Gumphrey believes that with the level of discussion at the Council meeting, that there will be a decision made in the near future. He also notes that Finance Director Tim Simon was going to be looking into financing for the project. Arena Manager Czech states that he has already had two meetings with the 292 group regarding performance evaluations, and that he needs to discuss energy savings with Rudie and Associates. He will also discuss what the financial benefits are with each of the different options. He notes that the Fogerty arena which has had turf over the summer for years has sold it off as now that they have two sheets,they have more demand for tournaments. City Administrator Cal Fortner inquires about the possibility of curling as a revenue generator at the arena. Arena Manager Czech states that Fogerty is hiring a professional to handle marketing, and they there is some kind of partnership with McGovern's restaurant regarding the curling portion of the arena. He also notes that he is hearing again how many arenas with direct cooling systems like we have are moving towards ammonia systems. Youth Hockey Board Member Brian Ballenger notes that he heard they are trying to attract a National Team, and to have the Fogerty Arena be recognized as a training center. 2 Arena Manager Czech notes that we had looked into the possibility of paining the ice for curling, and that Elk River did at one time have a curling club, but that it is actually quite involved, and it would require 4-5 days of maintenance to get it up and running. Arena Assistant Laura Estby notes that we did look into the option of having curling in the summer, and had spoken to the St. Paul Curling Club and were told that there really isn't any demand for ice in the summer. Chair Dale Martin inquires about the financial aspects of a brand new facility, and about a timeline for when the performance evaluations will be done. Arena Manager Czech states that Finance Director Tim Simon will likely use the new Farmington Arena, which will be two sheets also, as a model reference and build upon that. He also notes that he hopes to have the performance evaluations done by the end of September. City Administrator Cal Portner says that we will have to examine all of the options, and have financing plans for each. He notes that the City Council has discussed grouping together an arena renovation with other Parks related projects that will need to be done. He also notes that it really is only a gap of $5 million that we need to bridge- as the remainder of the money that would be spent on renovation would have had to have been spent for upkeep of the current facility anyways. Commissioner Gumphrey notes that when looked at from that perspective ($5million gap) it did make some members of the council look at the situation differently. Arena Manager Czech states that the ice plant is still an issue lingering in the background. If it was done today it would cost$2.5-2.6 Million and it is only going to get more expensive-with the issue never going away. 8. Outside Banners Arena Manager Czech notes that he went to the last Elk River Youth Hockey Board Meeting and discussed the banners. He believes they do not want to take on the cost of the banners themselves, that there MAY be the possibility of a partnership or that they would be able to get them produced at cost. However, Czech also notes that it is more than just the banners,we would also have to have lighting for it, and if we are getting lighting, we should really 3 look into the option of going with LEDs. At that point new banners and lighting become a $5,000-$7,000 project. Chair Dale Martin notes that he has mixed feelings about the City putting money in towards the banners since they advertise the Youth Hockey/High School program. Youth Hockey Representative Brian Ballenger states that Elk River Youth Hockey loves having the banners on the building, but it is a financial issue for them. He notes that even though their numbers are good,they are still having to raise rates, and are trying to see what they could do towards the remodeling project. Commissioner Gumphrey asks if the banners need to be as large as they are, or can they be hung inside in the event of a renovation? Arena Manager Czech says no, however he doesn't believe that making them just a little smaller will have enough impact on the cost to make a difference, but he will look into it. He agrees that we might be a bit premature in deciding about new banners when a renovation, if it happens could change where they could be hung. Commissioner Gumphrey also notes that Nate Prosser(NHL) and Rachel Halvorson(Disney on Ice) should be represented with the professional skaters. He suggests getting pictures and hanging them up in the arena-then removing the banners and possibly auctioning them off and starting a banner fund? MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER GUMPHREY AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR JOHNSON TO RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO REMOVE THE OUTSIDE BANNERS AND FIND A PLACE IN THE ARENA TO PUT UP 5 PHOTOS(SIZE TBD BY ARENA MANAGER) REPRESENTING THE 5 PROFESSIONAL SKATERS WHO HAVE COME THROUGH THE ARENA. MOTIONAL PASSES 4-0. 9. Off peak Season Rates/Contract Ice Hours Arena Manager Rich Czech has reviewed the Off Peak Season Rates for several other local arenas, and is advising the commission to keep the rates at $145 for another year. 4 MOTION MADE BY VICE CHAIR JOHNSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CUNNINGHAM TO KEEP OFF PEAK SEASON ICE RATES AND $145.00. MOTION PASSES 4-0. Arena Manager Czech notes that contracts for the 2012-2013 school year typically will go out the end of August or early September. He states that Youth Hockey is beginning on the 8`h of September this year, and we suggests a 30 day period from receipt of the contract before it is due back Commissioner Gumphrey notes that if we are making a recommendation to the council to add a"due date"to the contract,they won't be able to approve it until the next meeting on September 4th, which would mean the contract due date couldn't be any sooner than October 4th MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GUMPHREY AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR JOHNSON TO RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL AN AMMENDMENT TO THE ICE ARENA CONTRACT WHICH WOULD CAUSE A BACKCHARGE OF $5/HOUR FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON UNTIL THE CONTRACT IS SIGNED AND RETURNED AFTER OCTOBER 19TH,2012. MOTION APPROVED 4-0. 10. Arena Commissioner Members Chair Martin notes that the City Council approved the ordinance change which changed youth hockey's representation on the Arena Commission to one member and has added one representative from the Elk River Figure Skating Club. Arena Manager Czech notes that youth hockey and the figure skating club have chosen their reps, it is now up to the City Council to interview them and make the final decision. Chair Martin notes that after the council approves, they will have to take an oath before the next meeting, and then they will be allowed to vote. 11. Booster Club Passes/Players Passes Arena Manager Czech notes that the in the past the booster club passes have worked ok, and ultimately we may have made a little more considering the number of games that people miss. 5 Commissioner Gumphrey inquires about opening the passes up to the public. Arena Manager Czech states that it would be a school district issue as they are the ones that set the ticket prices- and they need to cover their costs, and the arena's cut of ticket sales when they are under. Commissioner Cunningham notes that the arena is guaranteed $900 from every game, and all revenue above that is split 50/50 with the school district. He states that they don't always make the $900 requirement for the girls games, so the school district has to cut a check to the arena at the end of the season. He notes that they have parent passes for other sports,however, those sports don't have guaranteed gate fees like hockey does. Elk River Figure Skating Club Representative DeAnn Givens believes the booster club is requiring players to sell at least 2 passes this year. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GUMPHREY AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR JOHNSON TO CONTINUE WITH THE BOOSTER CLUB PASSES FOR BOY'S AND GIRLS HOME GAMES AT A $2.00 DISCOUNT FOR ADULTS AND $1.50 FOR SENIORS-AND TO CONTINUE WITH OFFERING VARSITY AND JV PLAYERS FREE PASSES TO ALL HOCKEY GAMES FOR ANOTHER YEAR. MOTION PASSES 3-0 (COMMSSIONER CUNNINGHAM ABSTAINS FROM VOTING). 12. Other Business None 13. Next Meeting Date Wednesday,November 14`h, 2012 14. Adjournment MOTION BY VICE CHAIR JOHNSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CUNNINGHAM TO ADJOURN MEETING. MOTION PASSES 4-0 AT 7:26PM. 6 Minutes "Zed by au tby Tina Allard, C k //' `i Dale Martin, Chair 7