Woodbury Mulls Options for Third Ice Sheet at Bielenberg

Woodbury is considering three alternatives for a new sheet of ice as part of the expansion project.

The options, outlined for Patch by Parks and Recreation Director Bob Klatt, include:

• a $1.1 million rink that could eventually be enclosed (similar to the Oval in Roseville);
• a concrete slab with a refrigeration system (it would cost $500,000 to $700,000 and have to be removed if the city wanted to build an indoor ice sheet); and
• a “mat system” similar to the outdoor rink in downtown St. Paul.

All three are being investigated as the city moves forward with the $15.5 million project, Klatt said. The designs are still in development, he said, and the city won’t likely put out bids for the work until the end of the year.

Construction on the new facility, which will replace the aging dome, could begin as early as the spring of 2013.

The Woodbury City Council this week , and it was shown again Thursday to the Bielenberg Sports Center Expansion Task Force.

Concerns from the council, mostly regarding the size of the new lobby, were relayed to the group, Klatt said. But there weren’t too many suggestions or proposed changes to the plans, he said.

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