Many upgrades are coming to Roseville skating center

A $600,000 facelift approved for the John Rose Oval Skating Center will include repaving its outdoor warmup track, installing state-of-the-art technology behind its scoreboard and building an outdoor gas fire pit to warm skaters.

The money for the center, which attracts more than 250,000 visits each year, was part of the bonding bill signed last week at the Capitol.

And that's on top of a major overhaul of the indoor skating rink that's scheduled to begin this summer.

"We're thrilled," said Roseville Parks and Recreation Director Lonnie Brokke. "This is a center near and dear to the hearts of thousands of Minnesotans and to people around the country."

The oval is among five ice arena projects approved in the bonding bill signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty last week, said Rep. Bev Scalze, DFL-Little Canada, one of the sponsors of the legislation.

Duluth, Bemidji, St. Cloud and Crookston also were awarded funding for ice arenas, said Scalze, adding: "Ice got a lot of money."

The John Rose Oval is one of the nation's premiere outdoor skating centers, hosting local, national and international competitions. It's been the home, for example, of championships for U.S. Speedskating, American Cup Speedskating and National Bandy Championships.

Brad Tullberg, skating center superintendent, said the new funding will be used to:

• Install a monitoring system to watch for possible skating injuries, accidents or trouble at the sprawling 250,000-square-foot center.

• Build an outdoor gas fireplace and a heated "snow melt pit" for plows to deposit the piles of ice and snow scraped from the rink.

• Upgrade the technology behind the scoreboard, built in 1994, to meet current timing standards.

The latest funding from the Legislature comes on the heels of a $500,000 grant the center received last year from legislators. That money was used to build a new, wider entry, replacing a narrow hall that cramped a crowd, Tullberg said.

Meanwhile, skating buffs who frequent the skating center in the warm months should know that the indoor rink will close from late July to October this year, while the entire refrigeration system is overhauled.

"There's a lot happening here right now," Tullberg said. "It will be great for users."