By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Last week, KYMN aired a news special about the Ice Arena Project, and this week during the news, we will be highlighting some of the important topics covered. You can find the full show here.
Today, we are answering the question: Why does Northfield need a new Ice Arena? There are two main reasons: first, the mechanical systems of the building. Northfield Public Works Director Dave Bennett stated that the refrigerant system is nearing the end of its life and will need to be replaced soon, which would be a significant cost to do in the old building. The second main item is that the building is currently not up to code and is in need of improvement, including accessibility issues and overall lack of features.
Northfield City Councilor Brad Ness cited that the ice arena, built in 1975, had few features to begin with:
“It was built to get a roof over a piece of ice. They didn’t consider a whole lot more. If you look at the existing one.The locker room space is not adequate for today’s usage. The insulation and all that in the building is probably not up to codes today, so there would need a lot of money in that existing facility to bring it up to code and even a whole lot more to bring it up to current standards.” – Brad Ness, Northfield City Councilor
City Councilor Jessica Peterson-White cited the issue of accessibility as one of her main concerns:
“And there are some pretty significant issues with accessibility and you know, I think we all know like we got a lot of really engaged grandparents showing up for their grandkids’ games these days. And, you know, people of all ages really need accessibility” – Jessica Peterson-White, Northfield City Councilor
Another issue cited with the space was the lack of adequate restrooms and lockrooms, forcing players to share space with audience members. Here’s Public Works Director Dave Bennett:
“So one of the challenges now is the, you know, the players during intermissions have to commingle with the visitors that are trying to use the locker room. And they’re trying to get back to listen to their coaches, but they have to share the lock locker rooms with the spectators who are using the restrooms.” – Dave Bennett, Northfield Public Works Director
Overall, Councilor Ness stated that when comparing the costs of a new ice arena and fixing the old arena, “it made no sense to invest another dime into the current facility.”
Logan Wells is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at logan@kymnradio.net
