Burnsville Ice Center to get geothermal energy system

The Burnsville Ice Center, featuring an eye-catching wooden barreled ceiling, has long earned high marks for its ambience. And the stage has now been set for it to rank among the most energy-efficient rinks in North America.

The Burnsville City Council on Tuesday approved a nearly $5 million renovation project that includes a geothermal energy system that is expected to reduce energy use by 43 percent. The city could save an estimated $77,000 a year.

"This project is in line with the sustainability approach [Burnsville] has taken on," said Terry Schultz, Burnsville's director of parks, recreation and national resources.

The geothermal system will be used to cool the arena's ice sheet as well as to heat and cool the building.

Harty Mechanical of Austin, Minn., has been awarded the project. It submitted the lowest of the 15 bids Burnsville received. The highest bid came in about $1 million higher than Harty's.

The debt will be paid off at an average of $360,000 a year for 25 years.

Work is to begin March 15 and be completed by mid-October. Burnsville has a deal with Lakeville to use Hasse Arena for its spring and summer programs. Schultz said the city is confident customers will return to Burnsville next year.

Ice arenas with geothermal systems are fairly common in Canada and are gaining popularity in the United States. Albert Lea, Austin, Roseville and Woodbury are among the Minnesota cities that have signed on.

For Burnsville, construction of the geothermal system will include the placement of 200 wells in the ground around the facility to collect the Earth's heat. Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat from the ground (or water) into buildings in winter and reverse the process in the summer.

Pipes buried in the ground circulate a fluid similar to antifreeze throughout the building.

Enough heat will be collected to heat the entire facility; collecting enough heat to service nearby City Hall does not appear likely. That would require additional wells and it is questionable whether adequate space is available.

Included in the project will be the addition of a mechanical room, a snow melt pit inside the building, new dasher boards and a new roof for the flat-roof portion of the arena.