Woodbury sports center gains speed

Woodbury plans to deflate its 17-year-old Bielenberg bubble and next year build a brick-and-mortar fieldhouse nearly double the size of the current nylon structure.

City Council members, however, are looking for ways to expand the proposed lobby even more, have sent newly unveiled plans back to the drawing board.

The Bielenberg Sports Complex packs in thousands of people each year and at some events, such as the recent Woodbury Community Expo, they barely have room to walk. Hockey teams dominate two rinks, leaving little room for figure skaters and pleasure skating.

And from a city-marketing standpoint, Mayor Mary Guiliani Stephens said, the biggest complaint is that people can't find meeting rooms and banquet halls in Woodbury.

To find solutions as the city builds a new fieldhouse, Giuliani Stephens and Council Member Amy Scoggins are leading a 14-member task force that is beginning to gather comment from users.

On Wednesday, the mayor and council got their first look at early plans on a 90,000-square-foot fieldhouse. Construction is expected to cost about $15.5 million, with funding details still being worked out.

Rob Howard, an architect with Pope Architects of St. Paul, took council members on a high-tech virtual tour of the proposed building, replete with drawings of people walking around, at the council work session.

Under consideration is an outdoor ice sheet and upgrades for the exterior of the east and west arenas.

Costs for the outdoor rink could range from $250,000 for a portable unit like the city of St. Paul uses, up to $1 million for a refrigerated outdoor rink that later could be enclosed in a building, but would meanwhile extend the skating season.

The city's population has doubled since the center opened in 1995 and is projected to grow by another 25,000 to 84,000 by 2030 -- providing rising demand for recreational facilities, according to Dwight Picha, community development director.

Council Member Paul Rebholz said he's found himself in crowds packed tightly into the BSC, stressing that the task force and architects should consider a bigger lobby yet.

"Don't under-size it. That's all I'm trying to say," he said. "A few extra square footage on that lobby isn't going to cost enough to make or break that project."

Council members Christopher Burns and Scoggins, who each have young kids, raised concerns that if chairs are too close to the balconies, kids could climb up and topple over.

Bob Klatt, Woodbury's Parks and Recreation director, said the project includes a parks substation addition to provide space for parks maintenance equipment for fields, mechanical equipment for new construction and storage for the fieldhouse.

The plan was unveiled at the Woodbury Expo on April 14 and is posted on the city website.