Moses Lake ice rink project moving forward

by Brad W. Gary<br>Herald Staff Writer
| July 14, 2006 9:00 PM

Construction to start next week

MOSES LAKE — Recent scorching temperatures aren't the only reason ice is on the mind of Spencer Grigg.

The city parks and recreation director has got plans and specifications which may soon cool a section of ground by the Larson Recreation Center to 17 degrees Fahrenheit, slick enough for all kinds of blade runners.

Groundwork on the proposed 17,000-square-foot ice skating rink is expected to start Tuesday, and Grigg envisions skaters and other enthusiasts will make their first cuts on the new ice in early December.

"It will be the type of building that will be strong, and there for the long haul," Grigg said.

The rink is the first permanent one of its kind at the city, which has operated a smaller, open air rink since the 1990s. That rink had been torn down each year, but the permanent facility will have a concrete base, to allow for year round uses of the facility.

The new rink will be open air, but with a covered metal roof with columns and wind screening to prevent premature ice melts. A Zamboni building has also been included in the project.

The approximately 80- by 200-foot rink will be just more than twice the size of the previous 7,000-square-foot rink, on a site a little farther from where its predecessor stood.

The city awarded a $1.34-million contract to Graham Construction last month to construct the rink, and costs for the entire project has been priced at approximately $1.5 million. The funding for the rink came from part of a $6.1 million bond the city acquired to fund the rink project, and the pending downtown redesign and improvements to the city's aquatic center.

The exciting thing for Grigg is that the city was able to save money by purchasing refurbished dasher boards, ice mats and other ice rink pieces to complete the rink set for about $50,000, also putting money into the dasher boards.

The package was bought through a dealer, and initially belonged to the city of Reno, Nev. The pieces of the puzzle are currently on hand at the city's operations and maintenance shop, waiting for construction to begin.

An interest in a more permanent rink has come from members of the community, and from out-of-town hockey players from elsewhere in central Washington looking for time to practice on the ice. Hockey teams would have a chance to rent the rink space, Grigg said, as would organizations looking for space to do any non-ice hobby from remote control car racing to in-line hockey to basketball.

"We look at this as a multipurpose, year-round facility," he said. "Even when we don't have ice we can still have in-line hockey."

The old rink had offered free admission for general ice skating, which Grigg said the city has not discussed changing. The city would continue to charge to rent skates or take skating lessons, and would be able to rent the facility out for a team or group interested in time on the ice.

The biggest change when the rink is completed will be the fact the city won't have to tear it down when the temperatures warm up. The old rink had been set up in a sand base, but the new one will be set up permanently in a concrete base. The city expects the concrete base to be more efficient, and cheaper. The previous rink's wear and tear, Grigg said, came primarily from set up and tear down.

"Now it's concrete," Grigg said. "It's almost as simple as just flipping the switch and saying it's time to make ice again."