5/2/2012 - Melting Ice Leads to New Surface
Energy efficiency projects will improve the skating at the Portland Ice Arena

PORTLAND, Maine - This week following the 27th Annual Ice Show, Heroes and Villains, staff at the Portland Ice Arena began the annual ice melt. The yearly event and closure of the arena allows city staff to repair and maintain the nearly thirty year-old arena. In addition to general maintenance, major improvements are planned for the heating and cooling system, which will not only dramatically improve the quality and surface of the ice at the arena, but will also save money and energy as the repairs will replace an antiquated heating and cooling system.

“Like many of the city’s assets, the Portland Ice Arena serves a special purpose within the community,” stated City Manager Mark Rees. “Thousands of residents have learned to skate, played in a league or cheered on their favorite hockey team at the arena in the past twenty-seven years and hopefully, after these improvements are made, thousands more will continue to enjoy the facility for decades to come.”

Funded in large part by the city’s energy efficiency bond, the project, the first significant infrastructure improvement since the construction of the arena more than a quarter of a century ago, calls for the replacement of the heating and chilling loops beneath the ice and sand surface, the pumps and compressors, and chilling and heating units. Currently leaks in the heating system cause frost heaves in the ice resulting in an uneven surface and damaging the surrounding floorboards. The improvements will allow for a thinner ice surface, reduce compressor hours of operation dramatically and is estimated to save 67,000 kilowatt hours a year for just the operation of the pumps. Efficiency Maine rebates will also be applied to reduce the cost of the $625,000 project. Following a competitive RFP process, the city is expected to select a contractor with ice arena expertise to complete the work this week.

“The Greater Portland Industrial Hockey League and all our participants are extremely happy about the upcoming renovations to the rink,” stated Ace Malette, League Commissioner. “These repairs will not only address the problems we encountered this winter, but also shows that the City of Portland is committed to this valuable community asset and all the skating and hockey groups that enjoy the facility, now and for the foreseeable future. We look forward to skating again this fall.”

The construction is expected to begin in mid-May following the melting of the ice and remediation of the frost and will be complete by Labor Day, delaying the re-opening of the Ice Arena by two months. The arena is home to a number of local school’s hockey teams including Portland, Cheverus, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth as well as a recreational figure skating program. The Ice Arena is largely self-funded with up to 90% of its budget funded by user fees.

For more information about the ice arena, visit their website at portlandicearena.com which posts information about public skates, skate lessons and birthday party packages. In addition to public skating times, the Portland Ice Arena offers “Learn to Skate” programs for children and adults of all ages with more than one thousand skaters learning to skate at the Ice Arena each year. The Portland Ice Arena opened in December 1984, with a seating capacity of seven hundred and fifty. The Arena contains four locker rooms, skate sharpening services, skate rentals, and a concession area. The arena uses a Blademaster 9000 custom skate sharpening machine that can take care of all figure and hockey skate sharpening needs. With the new machine staff are able to offer the "Flat Bottom V" sharpening as well as custom radiusing and contouring.
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