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Item No: 7 <br />Meeting Date: November 7, 2011 <br />Type of Business: Work Session <br />Administrator Review: ____ <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: Nick DeBar, Public Works Director <br />Item Title/Subject: Discuss Ice Hockey and Skating Rink Operations for 2011/2012 <br /> <br />Background: <br />In previous years, the City has maintained three separate ice hockey and staking rink facilities for <br />recreational purposes. Hillview and Lambert Parks have hockey and skating rinks, while Groveland <br />Park has only a skating rink. During a typical season, Public Works begins building up the ice sheets <br />toward the end of November and warming house hours begin mid-December (in time for school break) <br />and end in mid-February (around President’s Day). The YMCA hires warming house attendants who <br />monitor activities at the rinks during warming house hours. Last season the warming house hours were <br />4:00 to 9:00, Monday through Friday, and 10:00 to 9:00 weekends and school breaks. <br /> <br />Discussion: <br />City staff discussed ice rink operations for this upcoming winter with the Parks and Recreation and <br />Forestry Commission and the YMCA Program Director at the October Commission meeting. Staff <br />presented a breakdown and analysis of visitor participation and operational cost estimates at the <br />meeting – attached a summary of those figures. The data used was for six of the last seven years <br />(2006/2007 data was unavailable). In general, the total cost to operate the ice rinks each season is <br />estimated to be around $18,900. Hillview and Lambert Parks each account for about 36% or $6,850 of <br />these costs, while Groveland Park accounts for about 28% or $5,200. Costs for warming house <br />staffing accounts for approximately one-half of these costs. <br /> <br />The Commission is recommending the following ice hockey and skating rink operations for this year: <br />• Maintain full ice hockey and skating rinks at Hillview and Lambert; and a skating rink at Groveland; <br />• Provide staffed warming house hours of 4:00 to 9:00, Mon. to Fri., and 12:00 to 8:00 weekends and <br />school breaks for Hillview and Lambert; <br />• Provide staffed warming house hours of 12:00 to 8:00 weekends and school breaks only for <br />Groveland; and <br />• Allow Groveland to be rented outside normal warming house hours. <br /> <br />Outside of school breaks, the proposal above would have 98 hours per week of open warming house <br />hours compared to 141 hours per week last season (30% drop). Since approximately one-half of the <br />total costs to operate the rinks are paying warming house attendants, the City will realize some cost <br />savings with this proposal, estimated to be about $2,500. Rental revenue could also be realized for <br />Groveland Park. <br /> <br />Recommendation: <br />The Commission and staff recommend that the City Council consider the proposed ice hockey and <br />skating rink operations plan presented above. Doing so will provide City and YMCA staff the direction <br />needed for readying the ice rinks for this upcoming season. <br /> <br />Respectfully submitted, <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Nick DeBar - Public Works Director <br />Attachments: <br />• Ice Hockey and Skating Rink Summary