Northfield News
January 23, 2007
Ice Now presents to city council
By SUZANNE ROOK
Staff Writer

NORTHFIELD - There's no denying that Northfield's ice arena is in terrible shape.

But city councilors Monday night had difficulty figuring out how to pay for a new facility, expected to cost up to $10 million.

"It is the worst - the absolute worst - in a 100-mile radius," Councilman Jim Pokorney said of the 30-year old facility.

The outdated, undersized and dilapidated arena is inadequate for the more than 650 estimated Northfield users, said Jim Fischer with Ice Now, a local nonprofit group dedicated to seeing a new arena built.

Fischer said his group doesn't want the current arena upgraded; instead they want a new facility with two regulation-size rinks. Those amenities would not only benefit area skaters, but the community, he said, noting that two rinks would accommodate hockey tournaments.

Such tournaments would send revenue pouring into the town by out-of-town players and spectators who would spend money at local hotels, restaurants and shops, Fischer said.

Todd Bornhauser, a Northfield resident and executive director of Lakeville's Chamber of Commerce, agreed: "The economic impact for tournaments is great."

Fischer said the other groups, including the Northfield Hockey Association, are interested in helping the city pay for the facility. In return for their investment, a board of directors with representatives from each group could run the arena.

To help pay for the new facility, Fisher said, the city could sell the existing arena, appraised at $800,000. User fees for the new facility would also increase by as much as 60 percent, something Fischer said current users already anticipate.

"I realistically see a return of $190,000 per year," he said.

Another presentation Monday supported Ice Now's complaints about the arena. Johnson Controls, a company hoping to help the city minimize its energy consumption and reduce operating costs, noted in its report that the ice-making system is labor intensive, requires a great deal of maintenance and is extremely inefficient."

In addition, the presentation listed the building and its dehumidification equipment as wasting energy and the ceiling as deteriorating.

When asked why the need for the arena is so urgent, Fischer reminded councilors about another town facility that was in the past suddenly in need of replacement: the city pool. Councilmen agreed in March 2006 to spend $3 million on a new pool, an expenditure on the councilmen's minds during Fischer's presentation.

The arena is not included in the city's projected list of expenditures. And while councilors supported the new facility in theory, they wouldn't commit to such a large expense given other city needs.

"This is a really big bite for us," Pokorney said.

Ice Now gave its presentation for information only and no vote was taken on the issue Monday.

Northfield News
January 20, 2007
Skating school not only group wanting new arena
By JEFF WALD
Sports Editor

NORTHFIELD - They've nearly tripled in size in the last two years, and now, the Northfield Skating School is on the bandwagon to get a new two-sheet ice skating facility in Northfield.

Hockey programs in Northfield are already pinched for time at Northfield Ice Arena, but when you factor in the rapidly-growing skating school, the need for a new facility comes even more to the forefront. Carey Tinkelenberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Northfield Skating School, said the problems at Northfield Ice Arena have had a direct impact on her programs.

"Our biggest problem for our sessions is that our ice time is terrible," Tinkelenberg said. "Our schools are at different times every week, and we have no control over it. We're the only town of our size around that doesn't have better facilities."

Tinkelenberg runs the "Learn to Skate" program at Northfield Ice Arena. In its first season nearly two years ago, her session consisted of 35 skaters of various ages. She now has 65 skaters in that session this year, and between two sessions, Tinkelenberg and her fellow instructors teach around 160 skaters who range in ages from four years old all the way to 67.

When this group is factored in with all of the hockey programs in Northfield, there's not enough ice team in a week with one rink to make everybody happy. The Northfield Hockey Association has less than 600 hours of ice time per year, and that's 40 percent less than similar size associations. There are also three squirt teams in Northfield consisting of 34 kids who get three hours of practice time a week. Most squirt programs practice four days per week in season. The programs at Northfield High School get 228 hours, which is 27 percent less than the Missota Conference average.

That's where the idea of a two-sheet facility, cultivated by Ice Now, can help all the programs in Northfield that need sufficient ice time.

"The ice arena here is so far behind that it's embarrassing," Tinkelenberg said. "It's not just with hockey, it's also with figure skating. We want to have a club here, but we can't have it without ice time. We want to host shows in the future, and we want to do more private lessons. A new facility will help us take a step in that direction."

Ice Now, a non-profit organization in Northfield, is the chief group trying to get a two-sheet, year-round facility in Northfield. Jim Fischer, the President of Ice Now, and the rest of the group will make a presentation at Monday night's Northfield city council meeting.

While mechanical updates and the purchase of a new Zamboni have been approved, Ice Now wants to discuss the need for a new ice arena, has a statement of needs and will make a proposal for the council's consideration.

"They absolutely can get this done," Tinkelenberg said. "We can barely fit in two sessions as it is with the skating school, and getting a new facility would definitely help us make progressions. There needs to be some partnership from the city and other ice users for it to happen, but it can be done."

Ice Now has identified two possible sites for the new arena, and the projected cost is now between $8 to $10 million. One sheet would be ice year-round, and the other would be seasonal and could be used for soccer, lacrosse and social events in the summer.

If the Northfield Skating School is going to take off like Tinkelenberg wants it to, upgrades to the current facility might not be enough if the city is going to continue a skating school or start a club.

- Jeff Wald can be reached at 507-645-1111 or jwald@northfieldnews.com.

Northfield News
December 27, 2006
Ice arena needs upgrades
Coaches say one ice sheet not enough in Northfield
By JEFF WALD
Sports Editor

NORTHFIELD - Ask anyone remotely associated with hockey in the city of Northfield, and they'll tell you that Northfield Ice Arena, at the very least, needs a bit of a facelift.

The ice arena was built in 1976 to give Northfielders a place to skate and play organized hockey games. The demand has since increased greatly, as Northfield High School has boys and girls hockey programs, St. Olaf College has men's and women's hockey programs, Carleton College has active club teams and the Northfield Hockey Association has several programs, all of which demand sign ificant ice time.

Northfield Ice Arena has aged significantly in recent years, so much that practices have been canceled and games nearly postponed due to poor rink conditions.

The night before the NHS girls hockey season opener this year, Raiders coach Brent Bielenberg had to take his team to Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault for practice because it was so warm outside, the ice inside the city's arena was unusable. The start of the team's Missota Conference opener against Farmington also was delayed because of warm weather outside that day. The game was nearly postponed, and the ice was more like a pond. It was so bad that game referees had to fix the ice between periods.

"It's unacceptable," Bielenberg said. "We've known for years that the rink has been in bad shape, but it just seemed like nobody cared. The city needs to step up, because they run the arena. There have been inexperienced people working there for the last five years, so now you have to d eal with what you have. It's embarrassing for some teams to have to come and play here."

There's a long list of repairs that need to be made at the ice arena. Among the ones at the top: Replace the Zamboni, the machine used to resurface the ice sheet; replace the compressors and humidifiers that help control ice temperature; get new boards on the bleacher side of the arena because the current boards have nothing more than a concrete slab for support; get bigger locker rooms and a wider hallway; build a bigger concessions area; and find a way to keep the ice solid when temperatures are warm outside. Those are just a few of many repairs that need to be made to the ice arena, assuming that the city decides to stay with one sheet.

"It's widely known throughout the state that Northfield Ice Arena is the worst rink in Minnesota," said Sean Goldsworthy, head men's hockey coach at St. Olaf. "The capacity isn't big enough; the Zamboni doesn't have the ability to control the ice temperature; the locker rooms are too small and some of my players have had shoulder separations because the boards on the bleacher side are up against concrete. We also only have one sheet, and it's not allowing any opportunity for kids to develop here, because they can't get enough ice time."

"We definitely do hear about it," said Joel Walinski, the city of Northfield's interim director of public services. "The building envelope isn't well insulated, so it gets warm inside when it's warm outside. The ice-making equipment is old. It's not as efficient or effective and it has a hard time keeping up with warmer conditions outside."

With a warmer winter than expected, and only one sheet of ice in the city, Northfield has a couple of options to solve its ice problem. Walinski said the city is looking at replacing the Zamboni, which he said would probably cost between $80,000 to $90,000. He also said a series of other upgrades, which includes finding a bet ter way to maintain ice temperature, could cost as much as $220,000. Those could be made as early as this summer to get ready for next winter.

The other option: Build an entirely new arena with two sheets that can be used for ice in the winter, and other purposes in the summer. That's where Jim Fischer, president of Ice Now, comes into play. Fischer put together Ice Now, a non-profit organization in Northfield, in November 2005 with a simple goal in mind.

"Our mission is to build a two-sheet, multi-purpose arena that can be used year-round," Fischer said. "There's not enough ice time for every skater or hockey player in this town with one sheet. We think we know where we want to build it, and we know how much it will cost, so we need the city and some other groups to provide us with some partnership and help get this done."

Fischer said the new facility, if it was approved by the city, would cost between $6 to $9 million. One sheet would be ice year-roun d, while the other would be turf in the summer and would be used for indoor soccer, lacrosse, shows and events. Fischer has met with city officials on several occasions to discuss possible plans about building the new arena, and said he hopes to have a new arena within the next couple of years.

Fischer said, after doing some calculations, that NHS hockey players get about 220 hours of ice time in a season. That's well below the Missota Conference average, as he said several schools in the conference get 290 to 300 hours on the ice.

"You look at every other program here, and they have more than one place to play," Bielenberg said. "What if soccer only had one field, basketball had only one court? We only have one rink, and when it's not maintained, everyone suffers."

"When you look at Northfield from a hockey perspective, the ice arena is way behind," Fischer said. "If that facility goes down, St. Olaf would survive about a year and then go down, the high school programs would go down and the Northfield Hockey Association would probably go down. We need two sheets of ice. We could host tournaments, and the city could make money."

Whether minor repairs are made to the existing ice arena in the next year, or an entirely new facility gets funded and built, one thing is clear, local hockey aficionados say: Hockey players and skaters need a better facility, and they need it sooner rather than later.

- Jeff Wald can be reached at 507-645-1111 or jwald@northfieldnews.com.