Money allotted for Brett Ice Arena repairs

WASILLA -- The Mat-Su Borough Assembly allotted $400,000 at a recent meeting to replace a failed refrigeration system at the Brett Memorial Ice Arena.

The arena was closed in early May after officials discovered multiple leaks in the building's refrigeration system during routine repairs. Small pinhole-like leaks were found during a routine examination, according to arena manager Allan Ervin earlier this summer, which caused a drop in the compression of the refrigerant that maintains the temperature of the ice. Officials worked to solve the problem without major repair, but were unsuccessful.

"The system failed, and it can not hold pressure. We found eight leaks, and it still does not hold pressure," Ron Swanson, community development manager, said at the Aug. 3 meeting. "At that point, we had two choices -- either walk away or repair it."

All indication is the problems are simply due to wear. Swanson said the same thing happened with the Ben Boeke Arena and the ice rink in Soldotna is currently having the same problem.

"Was it preventable? All indications are that it was not, from talking with contractors," Swanson said. "The typical life of this type of system is about 20 years."

The old refrigeration system at the Brett Arena was underneath the ice surface encased in cement. The initial search for the leaks was time consuming as officials had to break through concrete to see a potential problem. The new system, according to Swanson, will be an exposed, above-ground system, covered over with sand, graded and then covered with ice. There will be about 10 miles of pipe under the ice.

Opposition came from current and former assembly members questioning a move to put money toward another local ice arena. The Palmer Ice Arena and Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena will both be open this winter as well. Opposition also questioned how the arena will make up the costs. Assembly member Bruce Bush questioned how long it would take for the $400,000 to be paid back into the borough's land management fund, where Swanson proposed funding it from. Swanson proposed a facility fee be added to the rental rate to allow the work to be paid off in 10 to 15 years.

"With two new facilities coming online -- the Wasilla sports complex and the Palmer ice rink -- it is too early to know how usage of the facility may change, and whether that would change the time it will take to pay back the project," Swanson said.

Swanson proposed a usage fee of $10, that would be added to rental rates, and the money earned from the new fee would go into a fund set up for facility improvements. Once the fund reaches $400,000, the money would be given back to land management. After the debt is paid, the fees will remain in place, according to Swanson, and possibly be used for future needs of the Brett Arena.

Before making the decision to allot money for replacement of the refrigeration system, current and former assembly members discussed alternative uses for the Brett facility. Bush suggested turning the 20-year-old ice arena into a library.

"I'm really thinking we're throwing a lot of money at this. Wasilla needs a new library," Bush said. "I feel that maybe it's time just to cut our losses and get out."

Reporter Rindi White contributed to this story.