10 October 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council voted to spend half a million dollars more to put the ice back in the Wichita Ice Center. But before the vote, one council member called the Ice Center a money pit for the city.
The center has not had ice for three months, but the city plans to reopen it with ice this Friday.
“I am concerned that this continues to be a money pit,” Council Member Bryan Frye said. “We’re spending another $547,000 on the ice rink when I don’t know what the historical performance is of this facility or what is our projected business case going forward.”
History of repairs
Since July 2022, multiple equipment failures limited the Wichita Ice Center to only one of its two rinks.
In February, the Wichita City Council approved a bid for a new cooling tower at a cost of $238,000.
Then, in mid-July, the ice chilling system couldn’t handle the Kansas heat, and the compressors failed. That meant no ice and the cancellation of open skating, the figure skating club and hockey camps.
The necessary compressor parts had to be manufactured and shipped. While waiting for the parts to arrive, workers installed the new condensing tower, replaced some bench matting and dasher pieces, and took care of some smaller issues.
In late August, testing revealed ammonia in the brine used to cool the ice rink floors. Because of the health risk of ammonia, city staff hired an engineering firm that specializes in ice rinks to analyze the problem.
In September, the engineering firm found significant problems with the ammonia chiller barrel’s tubing, serious enough to require complete replacement of the chiller barrel.
City Council votes on $547,000
That is the issue the Wichita City Council had to address on Tuesday.
Rink Management Services, the company that manages the rink, has important events scheduled at the Wichita Ice Center in November and January. In order for those events to continue as planned, the Ice Center needed a temporary chiller unit and a new ammonia chiller barrel.
City staff said the cost would not exceed $547,234, and funding would be financed with general obligation bonds.
A Wichita ordinance allows the city manager to make decisions when immediate action is required instead of going through normal procurement procedures. On Sept. 22, City Manager Bob Layton approved the rental unit and the purchase of the chiller barrel.
On Tuesday, the council had to vote on whether to affirm Layton’s decision. That is when Frye asked for more information.
He wants a historical look at the performance of the ice rink along with a record of what the city has spent on it over the last 10 years.
“Going forward, what do we expect the business case to be for this facility?” Frye said. “Because I just feel like another $547,000 on something that just feels like it’s a money pit, I’m wondering if this is something we need to be in the business of.”
However, Frye said he would vote in favor of the money.
“I have no issue with allocating the funds for this repair because it’s necessary, but I would like to know what is the future for this facility,” he said.
“That’s well-spoken,” Mayor Brandon Whipple said. “This is an ongoing issue as we continue to try to maintain our assets, try to cover repairs of our assets, but also try to bridge the gap of time between those permanent repairs and the usage of the facility. And I think that Council Member Frye brings up a good point of, a financial analysis would help benefit us moving forward.”
The city manager asked if Frye wanted financial information and program information during the last 10 years.
“I just want to know, you know, what we’ve been doing, what we’ve spent and where we’re going,” Frye said.
The mayor then added the request to the motion for the rental chiller and the new ammonia chiller. The motion requested that the information be presented at a future city council meeting.
The council passed it 7-0.
Wichita Ice Center to reopen Friday
After the vote, the city announced the Ice Center finished installing ice on one rink this week with the use of the temporary chiller.
To celebrate, the Wichita Ice Center will reopen this Friday, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. It will be a public skate. The cost is $12 if you need ice skates and $7 if you bring your own.
Both rinks are expected to be fully functional in early 2024.