Palmer moves on ice arena project

PALMER -- Plans to build an ice arena in Palmer are solidifying, with the city council considering funding and design options.

At the request of council member Brad Hanson, the Palmer City Council once again took up the topic of building an ice arena in the city, and his colleagues unanimously agreed it was time to do more than just talk.

Council member Kathrine Vanover urged the council to set a meeting to begin nailing down the details by forming a site selection committee and looking at design options.

"Let's get it set and move forward … Let's just do it," Vanover said. The council agreed to meet tonight to further discuss the plans.

City Manager Tom Healy encouraged council members to begin making decisions about the project, especially if they hope to place a bond on the October election.

Healy presented the council with cost estimates for building an ice arena, based on a study done in November 2002. If divided into two phases, the arena's basic building, refrigeration and site work could be done for about $2.1 million. A second phase, including lockers and restrooms, would be about $1.5 million.

"Even with these numbers, this looks reasonable to me," Council member Steve Carrington said.

In the rest of his report, Healy listed some of the potential sources for this funding. The city's general fund and utility fund reserves are available, but he cautioned the council about using these. The Mat-Su Borough could be a source of grant or bond funding, in addition to other federal and private grant programs. Finally, Healy said, the city could go to the voters to get a bond approved. To get it on the October ballot, the council would have to approve an ordinance by Aug. 1.

Hanson, who has consistently researched and backed the project, told the rest of the council he was confident that the first phase could be paid for without a bond and proposed doing both phases at the same time if a bond was approved.

The council also discussed some possible sites for an ice arena, and planned to develop a site selection committee of some sort at tonight's work session. In his report, Healy discussed the possibility of building it on city-owned property south of Cope Industrial Way.

"The facility could locate on the northern third of this 14-acre property and provide adequate parking and street access," Healy said in his report. He went on to say that the city should consider dedicating the remainder of the property for public recreation or park use.

Decisions such as these about where to build an ice arena and how to pay for it are key, Healy said, if the council is serious about pursuing it.

"I think the ice arena is a project that has been identified as one the city would like to do," Healy said Tuesday night.

Council members agreed.

"It's an excellent recreational opportunity … I think if we took a vote today it would be unanimous that we want an ice arena," Council member John Combs said. He went on to say, "The community wants to see something … It's not just the seven of us at this table talking about it."