MTA Events Center upgrade work continues

PALMER — Palmer City Manager Doug Griffin reports major objectives during in the ongoing effort to upgrade the MTA Events Center have been accomplished.

“There are a few more items on the punch list, but we are pretty much done,” Griffin said recently.

Griffin said a number of tasks pegged for the third phase of the project have been completed. This piece of the project included the construction of new locker rooms and restroom facilities at the city’s ice arena. An area, located near the main entrance of the building, was also constructed to provide room for more seating.

Office space and storage space was also included in the latest round of improvements.

“It looks a little undone. There are a few things left to do,” Griffin said.

The bleachers for that area still need to be built. Because of the layout of the area, which is elevated on the right side of the facility, wooden bleachers will need to be built, Griffin said.

Griffin said the city hopes to team with Alaska Job Corps in a joint project to build the bleachers.

The main entry to the facility also needs to be finished and an elevator installed.

The elevator shaft has already been constructed, Griffin said. The city also hopes to make improvements to the facility’s sound system.

“We’ll be looking at some other things later on (also),” Griffin said. “Everything else is kind of small potatoes.”

Griffin said he’d like to see the wooden bleachers built within the next few years. That would allow the arena to seat more than 1,000 fans.

“We hope we can pack that place one of these days,” Griffin said. “We’d like to see 1,000 people in there one of these days.”

The city has not received confirmation whether or not the facility’s flagship tenant, the Alaska Avalanche Junior A hockey team, will return next year. But regardless, Griffin said the city is moving forward to create a true multipurpose facility for the community.

“We don’t know the exact future of the Avalanche, but we’re proceeding to try to add the seating to the event center,” Griffin said.

Regardless, the arena will continue to be home to local youth, high school and adult hockey teams. But Griffin said the city wants the MTA Events Center to be more than just a hockey rink.

“We want to be able to host things like a Palmer High graduation,” Griffin said.

Griffin said hosting events such as trade shows could be possible in the future.

There will also be fields next to the MTA Events Center to be used by local soccer programs this summer, Griffin said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.