Loading...
08-18-2015 ICE MIN Elkof �-, Meeting of the Arena Commission • River Held at the Elk River City Hall Tuesday, August 18, 2015 Members Present: Chair Givens,Vice Chair Balabon, Commissioners Holmgren, Ballenger,Cunningham,Westgaard Members Absent: Commissioner Madsen Staff Present: Arena Manager Rich Czech,Arena Assistant Laura Estby,Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker, Finance Director Tim Simon I. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof,the meeting of the Ice Arena Commission was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chair Givens. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Recited by Commission Members and Staff. 3. Consider 8/18/15 Agenda • The agenda included Oath of Office for new members,which was from the April 21, 2015, commission meeting. Motion by Commissioner Westgaard and seconded by Commissioner Cunningham to approve the agenda with the removal of Item#3. Motion carried 6-0. 4. Consider 4/21/15 Minutes Item 5.1: Arena Assistant Laura Estby notes the first sentence in section#9 should read "Arena Manager Czech notes the Mighty Ducks (for the conversion of rinks using R22). In addition,the signature at the bottom should be from Chair Givens, opposed to Mayor Dietz. Motion by Commissioner Ballenger and Seconded by Vice Chair Balabon to approve the April 21, 2015 minutes with the above-mentioned changes. Motion carried 6-0. 5. Open Forum • No one present. Arena Commission Minutes Page 2 August 18,2015 6. Financial Update • Arena Manager Rich Czech hands out an updated financials spreadsheet,which includes year to date information. Czech is confident that the arena will meet it's projected budget, as we have not taken in revenue from the fall learn to skate session yet or the admissions to the high school games that will take place in 2015. The Olympic rink needed repairs early this summer,which will be discussed in further detail later in the meeting, but is noted in the expenditures. Commissioner Ballenger inquires if the arena financials are at a typical place for the time of the year. Arena manager Czech says due to the repairs,we are not at our typical place for the year. Commissioner Westgaard notes the repairs to the Olympic cost close to $82,000. Ballenger asks about reimbursement from insurance. Arena Manager Czech notes that it was discussed with The City's adjuster and Financial Director Tim Simon, however it was determined that the issue would fall under normal wear and tear, and it would be better to handle it without insurance in case a larger issue were to arise. Motion by Commissioner Westgaard and seconded by Commissioner Cunningham to approve the financials as presented. Motion carried 6-0. 7.1 Parks and Recreation Master Plan Arena Manager Rich Czech notes that Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker will be proceeding with the RFP which will include the arena, senior center and Lions Park Center. The location of the new facility will be a large part of the discussion. Commissioner Westgaard adds the parks master plan didn't include facilities- and that the RFP may need to include Pinewood Golf Course. He notes repairs have been put off too long for the facilities as it is. He inquires about what would happen to the current arena building should a new facility be built. Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker notes it doesn't make sense to make repairs to buildings that may not be in use in the near future. He adds a multipurpose facility was noted in the master plan, however no location was specified, and that Hales Field is a possible option. • P O N f 1 8 1 1 BY NATURE 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 Arena Commission Minutes Page 4 August 18,2015 Commissioner Westgaard inquires about how and who usually applies for the grants, • to which Czech replies typically he and Finance Director Tim Simon are responsible for applying for grants. 8. Arena Manager's Update Arena Manager Rich Czech relays the upcoming events in the arena: A.C. Expo's Gun Show—September 12— 13 18th Annual Fall Craft Show—September 19-20 Ice back in the barn by September 23. He also adds that the new Arena Lead Worker Joel Heaton started this week. 9. Announcements Commissioner Westgaard inquired about the camera system that was discussed last year and how it worked in the Blaine Super Rink. Arena Manager Czech states the camera system company did not follow through in Blaine,but that the Super Rink did get a less sophisticated system in place. He notes the video quality isn't as good and it is mostly wide angle shots. He says he can talk • to the arena manager and get more information. Commissioner Westgaard asks if the booster club has approached him regarding season passes this year. Arena Manager Czech says he has not heard from anyone. He also notes that Elk River Youth Hockey has a new scheduler—Nancy Babcock. Vice Chair Balabon asks about Kraft Hockeyville and the possibility of applying for a grant?He adds he believes the St. Michael/Albertville Arena was a finalist and received money. Commissioner Ballenger notes the next Arena Commission meeting is April 19—and would there be anything coming up before that we should address now? Arena Manager Czech replies only if the RFP is completed before then. Commissioner Westgaard suggests a possible joint meeting with the City Council when the RFP is done. It would post as a special meeting. Commissioner Ballenger adds that he wants to make sure that Elk River Youth Hockey stays informed of the status of a new facility/renovation. 11111 POWEkE6 BY NATURE Arena Commission Minutes Page 5 August 18,2015 • I 0. Adjournment Motion made by Commissioner Westgaard and seconded by Commissioner Cunningham to adjourn the meeting at 6:55 p.m. Motion carried 6-0. Minutes prepared by Laura Estby DeAnn Givens, hair Tina Allard, City Clerk • • POWERED BY NATURE