Improvements planned at Willmar’s Cardinal Arena and Blue Line Arena

WILLMAR - The possibility of “rain’’ falling from the rafters due to a buildup of indoor humidity will be avoided when the city installs new dehumidification equipment this year at the Blue Line Arena.
The rain effect is possible when ice is on the arena floor and outside temperatures warm up, explained Troy Ciernia, manager of the Civic Center Cardinal Arena and Blue Line Arena.
Ciernia said the Blue Line Arena does not have a dehumidification system now, hence the possible rain effect.
“If we don’t have the proper dehumidification, what happens is moisture will look like rain off the rafters because you get that much moisture in the air when it’s so warm outside,’’ he said.
Ciernia said it will be nice to have the system in place if the city wants to operate the arena earlier and later in the year.
“It will be nice to have the system in place to avoid that raining aspect,’’ he also said.
New dehumidification equipment also is planned for Cardinal Arena.
Ciernia said the current system is on its last legs. The system is too small for the size of the building and is not operating efficiently.
“There’s a lot of voided space because the ceilings are so high,’’ he said. “So you need a lot bigger system to be able to take all that moisture out of the air.’’
Willmar Public Works Director Sean Christensen said the new dehumidification systems are budgeted for 2015. Mechanical engineering consultants Stevens Engineering of Hudson, Wis., and Gausman and Moore of St. Paul were hired by the city to study maintenance and operational issues at both arenas and estimated the cost of the new systems at $800,000.
Besides installing new dehumidification systems, the city is looking at upgrading or replacing the aging ice-making refrigeration systems in both arenas in 2016 because the systems have exceeded their expected life and both use a refrigerant that is being phased out of production by 2020 due to its adverse environmental effects.
Cost estimates vary, depending on which of seven improvement or replacement options is selected by the City Council. The least expensive option is minimum improvement of the existing systems, estimated at $366,800 - $183,400 for Cardinal Arena and $183,400 for the Blue Line Arena.
The most expensive option is a new CO2 “direct’’ system, estimated at $4,293,000 - $2,281,000 for Cardinal Arena and $2,403,000 for the Blue Line Arena.
A less expensive option - a new ammonia industrial grade system - which Christensen said the city is leaning toward, is estimated at $2,070,000 - $1,129,000 for Cardinal Arena and $1,251,000 for the Blue Line Arena.
The Willmar Civic Center facility includes the Cardinal Arena, constructed in 1979, and the Blue Line Arena, constructed in 1998. Consultants say the city has a long-standing tradition of providing high quality ice-related and dry-floor activities and say the Civic Center is well used. The facility hosted the National Curling Tournament in 2012 and will be hosting the Junior National Tournament in 2016.
The consultants said the age of these systems and the pending phase-out of R-22 refrigerant prompted the city to plan for a replacement. Consultants said their study is also part of the city’s continued effort to improve the performance, operation and efficiency of the facility and to continue to provide the highest quality of ice for its users.
A key part of this study was to evaluate all possible refrigerant options and technology and to identify ice systems.
Consultants said the facility has been very well-maintained, with timely repairs and improvements performed on the ice system (refrigeration and ice floors) and other related systems. They said there’s been an obvious concerted effort to reduce energy costs.
“Implementing the recommendations in this study, including planning for and replacing the ice system in the future, will provide a strong operational, structural and programming foundation for the facility over the next 30 years and beyond,’’ the study said.