WORTHINGTON — The costs associated with building a new ice arena in Worthington would be “pretty staggering,” City Administrator Steve Robinson said during a Friday meeting of representatives of the City of Worthington, Nobles County, District 518 and Minnesota West Community and Technical College.
Worthington’s existing ice arena is owned by the Worthington Hockey Association, leased to the City of Worthington for $1 per year and located on property owned by the Nobles County Fair Board, and representatives of the various stakeholders have been discussing what to do with the aging facility for some time.
Initial estimates for building a new ice arena came back high, agreed District 518 Superintendent John Landgaard, but that estimate is being refined and re-examined, so more information may be available when that process is done.
Four options are being considered:
- Build a new facility with one sheet of ice, likely on District 518 land near the Intermediate School
- Build a new facility with two sheets of ice
- Renovate the existing ice arena and expand it from one sheet of ice to two
- Renovate the existing ice arena without expansion
“The existing building needs a lot of renovation,” Robinson said. “It would be multi-millions of dollars to get that up to a new standard.”
It has no frost footings, so frost comes in under the floor, he explained, and a heating system in the soil beneath the ice to keep the ground from freezing hasn’t worked for years.
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Robinson also said he didn’t think the Fair Board would want to give up any more of its land for an expansion.
Most ice arenas in Minnesota are owned by cities, with about 10% owned by school districts and a scant few owned by clubs, Landgaard said, emphasizing that the groups need to partner together on the issue because many people from across Nobles County also use the ice arena.
Bob Demuth Jr., a Nobles County commissioner, asked about participation in the District 518 hockey program, and Landgaard answered that it varies from year to year, but the girls team is going strong and currently the boys team numbers are a bit lower but still acceptable.
Landgaard pointed out that the ice arena generates economic development for Worthington and the surrounding area, as hockey tournaments bring people from out of town.
“You do a lot of traveling to different cities,” agreed Commissioner Bob Paplow, who has two hockey-playing grandchildren. “And when they come here, they rent (at) the hotels, they go out to eat ... That does make a big impact when they do have a tournament going on.”
Landgaard said he’d also received feedback from people who wanted to give their kids something to do in town.
“It’s gonna be a big ticket. I don’t know where the city’s going to sit on this, but we’re not doing it at the moment, I’ll guarantee you that,” Robinson said. “So if you want an ice arena, open your checkbook, and put lots of zeroes in there.”
“It comes down to what the priority of the community will be,” Landgaard said. “Because at some point, it’s gonna be — you either have a hockey arena or you don’t have a hockey arena, which means you offer hockey to the community or you don’t.
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“And it was shared with Steve and I that there are people that will and have already considered moving somewhere else because of not having one,” he added.
In other news Friday, the group:
- Continued to discuss the issues with Crailsheim Road, including its intersection with Oxford Street, the locations of the school zone signs, and safety concerns. Landgaard asked why the issue seemed to no longer be a priority for Nobles County, and said he would continue to pressure the county to address the safety concerns in the area sooner. Demuth said he wished County Engineer Aaron Holmbeck was present to answer Landgaard’s questions.
- Received an update from Minnesota West Community and Technical College President Terry Gaalswyk, who said the college anticipates its enrollment will be fully recovered by next fall, unlike that of the Minnesota State college and university system overall, which is still experiencing loss.
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