Two cities, school district collaborate to renovate West St. Paul ice arena

For nearly five years, the home of West St. Paul and Henry Sibley High School hockey has been skating on thin ice.

Hockey enthusiasts and city officials have long debated what do about aging the West St. Paul ice arena, with its structural problems and outdated ice-cooling system.

Should the 43-year-old, city-owned facility be updated, or should West St. Paul start fresh and build a new one? And who should foot the bill?

"The basic situation is that this is a facility that has been in decline for some time," said Mark Spurr, West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan board member. "It's old."

Finally, in a collaborative hat trick, the cities of West St. Paul and Mendota Heights and the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district have committed to splitting the cost of the arena's renovation, each contributing just over half a million dollars.

"The bottom line is, we're really pleased. It really worked out," said Mendota Heights Mayor Sandra Krebsbach. "We wanted hockey here. Our kids and families are very much into the hockey world."

While details are still being finalized, all three parties have approved letters of intent stating they're on board.

"This is a good example of a true partnership where we're mutually dependent on each other for our programs to be able to be viable," said Superintendent Nancy Allen-Mastro.

The project's total cost is between $1.3 and $1.9 million. The roof will be redone, a new refrigerant system to chill the ice will be installed and there will be plumbing and heating system updates, said Dave Napier, a West St. Paul council member and president of the Henry Sibley hockey booster club.

"We feel if we put the money into it, we could get it to go another 15 to 20 years," Napier said.

One reason to complete the project now: the availability of $200,000 in state funding through the "Mighty Ducks" grant program to update the soon-to-be obsolete refrigerant system, which uses the chemical Freon. The city of West St. Paul is applying for the grant, due Oct. 1.

Krebsbach said construction is slated to begin this summer.

Several years ago, a new arena was included in plans to build a sports complex in West St. Paul. However, it was deemed too expensive and there wasn't enough land there. In addition, it would have operated at a net deficit, costing the city money, said Napier. West St. Paul went ahead and built a lacrosse and soccer dome.

In 2012, there was interest in building an entirely new arena, at a cost of about $6 million, said Krebsbach.

"Of course everyone would have loved it," said Krebsbach, but neither city felt it had the financial power to do it alone.

And the school district's position then — and now — is that it doesn't want the risk or responsibility that comes with building and operating an ice arena, Allen-Mastro said.

The latest alternative is a reasonable, one-time cost for the school district, she said, adding that it will use its general fund reserves, built up over time.

While there's no shortage of enthusiasm for the three entities' decision to work together, some think the arena needs additional updates.

"I'm pleased that the city is moving forward with support from the school district and Mendota Heights," Napier said. But "I don't believe we're doing all we should be doing to the building."

A remodel in 1997 added bathrooms and a concession area, but overlooked a key component: locker rooms for the high school teams.

Most or all of the other teams in the conference have on-site locker rooms, said Napier. The cost of a boys' and girls' locker room addition is about $350,000, a sum that Napier hopes the community can raise soon so the locker rooms can be part of the larger arena renovation.

Having locker rooms on site is more convenient for parents and coaches, and instills a sense of pride in athletes, Napier said.

"We don't have a community center here," Napier said. "That arena, right now, is our community center."