MORGANTOWN — Since public discussion of the Morgantown Ice Arena project began in earnest some six years ago, BOPARC has insisted that, if at all possible, the work would be completed without missing a season of ice time.
As it turns out, it’s not possible.
The ice arena will close at the conclusion of the current ice season (March 26) and reopen in its fully renovated form in August 2024.
Following a special meeting held earlier this week, BOPARC Executive Director Melissa Wiles told The Dominion Post that uncertainty on lead times for various components simply won’t allow the kind of control over the construction timeline that would permit the facility to remain open during the project.
“The overall timeline for the project is the same. It is just that the order of work can be more fluid and take into account the extended lead times and sequencing if the building is not occupied,” Wiles said. “However, it also means the loss of one ice season in the facility, which is something BOPARC had hoped to avoid.”
Wiles said the unpredictable nature of the manufacturing and shipping market in the aftermath of COVID-19 is to blame.
According to information provided by Wiles, BOPARC has been told it will take between 32-45 weeks to receive a new chiller unit. Timelines for other central components tied to electrical, HVAC and dehumidification have lead times ranging from 23 to 34 weeks.
“BOPARC has already met with representatives from our ice rental groups in order to provide the information and receive input. We are diligently working on independent options that would fill portions of our normal community programming and our ice rental component,” Wiles explained.
The ice arena overhaul is estimated to be a $10.4 million to $11.5 million project.
The ice arena as well as development of a new Marilla Pool complex are being bonded against BOPARC’s allotment of future revenues generated by the city’s 1% sales tax, which took effect in July 2020.
BOPARC receives one-quarter of the revenue generated by the sales tax. The city anticipates collecting $8.8 million in sales taxes this fiscal year, but concedes revenues outpaced expectations in both the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.
In addition, BOPARC was the recipient of $2,425,489 from the county-wide parks and recreation levy passed in 2016 and, thus far, $452,600 since the renewal of that levy in 2020. The levy funds are to be used solely for the ice arena project.
The Morgantown Ice Arena began life in 1978 as a canopy over an outdoor sheet of ice.
The Mills Group-designed overhaul will essentially strip away everything but the building’s skeleton — including the slab beneath the existing rink — and rebuild it with an additional 7,000 square feet.
The rebuild will make the facility thermally efficient, giving BOPARC the option of programming ice year-round, though that’s not currently the plan.
