For more information:
Chris Bilder, Public Relations/Marketing, Eugene Generals
541-359-4154 (office)
541-680-6222 (cell)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2009
The Future of Lane Events Center-Ice
Eugene, OR - One month ago, Lane Events Center-Ice manager Cindy Jensen and Lane Events Center managing director Rick Reno made a presentation to the user groups of Lane Events Center-Ice. The presentation included repairs that need to be made to the ice rink, plans to repair the rink, staff cutbacks at the rink, cutbacks on hours of operation at the rink and the future of the rink in Eugene.
“The rink needs some work, but there have been no discussions about closing the rink permanently,” Generals owner and president Ken Evans stated. “The facility was built in 1989, and it is facing some problems that an older facility typically faces after 20 years. Repairs will be needed, and everyone is working to look for solutions to the problems. The Eugene Generals are committed to continue using Eugene as our home for hockey, and the 2009/10 season will continue as planned.”
There are two repairs that need to be made to the ice rink: heaving in the concrete slab beneath the ice surface and the dasher boards surrounding the ice surface. The soils under the refrigeration system and concrete slab have frozen. Compounding the problem is the availability of moisture in the soils in this part of Eugene, which, due to the nature of the ice rink have frozen, and has created heaving in the floor surface due to the sub-surface frost build up. The system that provides a layer of warmth under the refrigeration system has not been functional for some time, which has not helped the problem. The frost heaving affects the surface, the ice thickness, the maintenance costs and the visibility of the ice surface. The dasher boards have also been affected by the heaving in the ice surface, and have amassed wear and tear from the years in use.
Outside entities are being consulted on how to address the problem of the ice surface. Some initial reviews have been done with others to occur. Initially there is a thought that the ice will need to be melted and a more positive heat transfer method will need to be used to begin thawing of the frost under the concrete slab. This is a three to six month process. As the frost melts, the floor is expected to subside towards its correct elevation. There is a possibility that the floor will not subside to its original elevation, at which time there will need to be an assessment of the problems associated with this. It is possible that the rink can go back into operation for one or more years until something else needs to be done or there is a possibility that major rink flooring and refrigeration rework will need to be done. It is hoped that the warming loops currently in place will thaw, and the system can be brought back into operation.
“We have seen tremendous growth in hockey in Eugene in the last four years,” Generals GM Flint Doungchak said. “I believe the Generals serve as a valuable part of this community, and the growth in youth hockey in Eugene is something that can’t be denied. We have been extremely successful in the four years we have been in Eugene, and we plan on continuing that success for a long time to come.”
It is currently being scheduled to close the rink after the hockey season in approximately March 2010, and keep the rink down for up to six months to address the frost heave. A shut down will be scheduled, it may be, depending on the frost heave subsidence, for a lesser time but it may take the full six months.
The rink was recently shut down between June 22nd, 2009 and July 4th, 2009 for general maintenance purposes. The ice was not entirely melted out, but was melted down slightly and had some modified additional edging performed in an effort to stabilize the dasher boards, level the ice and make repairs or replacements to existing dasher board panels. The dasher boards will not be replaced with new boards until the floor level and frost heave issues have been resolved. New dasher boards will cost the facility between $100,000 and $150.000.
Lane Events Center-Ice has been reorganizing its staff, and has been streamlining its hours of operation in an effort to reduce costs. The ice center has reorganized position types, and has reclassified positions to the part-time-seasonal category. This, in effect, has removed or limited benefits and created part-time hourly positions. During the summer months the rink will open at approximately 12 noon with the ice schedule to be modified to start at that time. The schedule will be altered if guaranteed (paid for at the hourly rate) events schedule a time. During the fall, the schedule of time will be expanded considerably once the fall activities and seasons resume. Lane Events Center-Ice may modify some early morning hours or low use hours so that the schedule remains compact. Newly scheduled guaranteed events will be fit in as possible.
As of right now there are no plans to permanently close the ice rink. The ice rink is considered part of the Lane Events Center multi-use, multi-functional center and is included in the future plans for Lane Events Center.
For more information on Lane Events Center-Ice please visit eugenegenerals.com.