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Did anyone make it to the Center Ice Lounge last night to hear about the ice arena renovations? What were the highlights?

Most of the "concerns" raised invovled the curling people that were upset about possibly losing their "dedicated" curling rink to other scheduled events (things that had been scheduled for the Studio Ice), which will be turned into much needed locker room space. The other big concern was the Bowling Green Youth Hockey program explaining the benefits of having a second sheet of ice. Many questioned why $8 million would be spent on updating the current facility instead of adding much needed ice. What some people didn't seem to understand is that because the arena has been let go for so long, it's going to cost a huge amount of money to fix it and bring it up to date. Much of what needs done will not been seen by the public (replacing the refrigeration system and all mechanical elements tied to it). Overall the majority of the money is going toward infrastructure (refrigeration system update, roof repair, building insulation, etc...). This is in the very early stages right now. Next step is to hire an architect to complete an analysis of priorities and costs based on the availibility of $8 million. Greg Christopher said he expects to have more public meetings like this to give more information on what will be done when that information is determined by the architect. He thought the work would begin in the summer of 2009. They did look seriously at the combination ice aarena/basketball center, but did not go with that design due to the overall negative factors associated with a combined facility of that type. The Convo center that they decided to go with will cost $36 million. It is expected to be completed in 2012. Although the exact seating capacity hasn't been determined, right now the working number is 5,000. I highly recommend attending the presentations on the Convo, as Greg is very open to questions, suggestions and comments.

I like that the new Convo Center is possibly 5K....maybe 6-7K, at the most, would be cool IMO>

There are those that will argue that the Convo facility should be larger, like OU with over 13,000, and UT (8000-9000?). But when you hear that the average attendance going back 20-30 years is only 2,500 for men's hoops, you will know why they only want 5K.

Also, the big complaint in C-bus about the Schott at OSU is that even with 10,000 in for Hockey, the place looks empty. Having been to both (BG and OSU hockey games), I can say that the Ice Arena with 2K is still louder than the Schott with 10K. On the flip side, the Schott is still a nicer building than either Anderson or the Ice Arena with better concessions and bathrooms, but the Ice Arena and Anderson are much more player friendly in the seating areas with crowds on top of the action to help fuel the players and intimidate the opposing team.

A common thing heard by the AD is that the older hockey players prefer a renovation, while the younger set prefer a new building.

Either way, once the dust settles and everything is complete, new or renovation, everyone will get back to bitching about the team, the crowd, the alumni, and the students.

If Rob Blake, Nelson Emerson, and George McPhee played in our Ice Arena, why can't our new players do the same in a renovated space.

I think that's what we've realized.

cbjhack wrote:A common thing heard by the AD is that the older hockey players prefer a renovation, while the younger set prefer a new building.

BINGO! That was mentioned last night and apparently many hockey alums have been contacted regarding what they would like to see done and what they would be willing to help fund. You are correct, the older alums wanted the existing facility fixed up and the younger ones wanted a new place. The overall cost for a new ice arena was MUCH higher than what it would cost to update the current faciltiy. Tradition was also a factor in considering what they finally decided to do. I personally am THRILLED they are fixing up the place, but hope that once that is done, OTHER things can be done to improve the amenities offered within the rink. Those things also help with recruiting, attendance and the overall impression and experience of the game atmosphere.

GO FALCONS!!
SWEEEEEEEEEEP THE BRONCO-GOONS!!!!!

Falcon Fanatic wrote:Most of the "concerns" raised invovled the curling people that were upset about possibly losing their "dedicated" curling rink to other scheduled events (things that had been scheduled for the Studio Ice), which will be turned into much needed locker room space. The other big concern was the Bowling Green Youth Hockey program explaining the benefits of having a second sheet of ice. Many questioned why $8 million would be spent on updating the current facility instead of adding much needed ice. What some people didn't seem to understand is that because the arena has been let go for so long, it's going to cost a huge amount of money to fix it and bring it up to date. Much of what needs done will not been seen by the public (replacing the refrigeration system and all mechanical elements tied to it). Overall the majority of the money is going toward infrastructure (refrigeration system update, roof repair, building insulation, etc...). This is in the very early stages right now. Next step is to hire an architect to complete an analysis of priorities and costs based on the availibility of $8 million. Greg Christopher said he expects to have more public meetings like this to give more information on what will be done when that information is determined by the architect. He thought the work would begin in the summer of 2009. They did look seriously at the combination ice aarena/basketball center, but did not go with that design due to the overall negative factors associated with a combined facility of that type. The Convo center that they decided to go with will cost $36 million. It is expected to be completed in 2012. Although the exact seating capacity hasn't been determined, right now the working number is 5,000. I highly recommend attending the presentations on the Convo, as Greg is very open to questions, suggestions and comments.

Having a dedicated curling ice is something that is unique to BG (in the region). It'll be sad if it goes away, but completely understandable. The only fan amenity I'd like to see (other than affordable concessions) is a video board to show replays on. When a ref reviews a goal, I think the crowd, not to mention the players and coaches, deserve to see the exact same thing.

Because I enjoy curling and because I know quite a few people who do, I'd be quite disappointed to see the curling ice go. Also, I've spoken to a few people involved in the curling clubs here and they've told me there are at least a few people who travel quite a distance to curl here.

An interesting fact that was brought up at the meeting, is that the "dedicated" curling space brings in at TOTAL of $39,000 in revenue to the ice arena.

You could have an open room with tables and chairs and bring in more than that!

factman wrote:An interesting fact that was brought up at the meeting, is that the "dedicated" curling space brings in at TOTAL of $39,000 in revenue to the ice arena.

You could have an open room with tables and chairs and bring in more than that!

I have to believe that you.....RC Ziggy 84.....have a comment on this? If memory serves correctly, you enjoyed many opportunities to throw the rock on this sheet. Just curious what you think.

I think what they are doing for the arena is great. I stated my feelings @ the mtg. Keeping the tradition is very important as a lot of that has been lost over time. I totally agree with Falcon Fanatic that Sam Cooper should have his name attached in some way. Yes I know Cooper Pool but I had several conversations with Sam about starting the hockey program. & was given a type written history of what was done, who the players were & some of the things they went through to get us to where we are today. He felt hockey was as important as swimming.
IMO they have decided what will be accomplished with the $$$ and nothing will be added now. We must fix the ice making equipment & the roof at least, the other stuff is bonus.

I was underwhelmed. Not much has been decided, so there was little information to give. I appreciate the concerns of the curlers and youth hockey folks, and the best comment I heard was a suggestion to work with the city and county to find a way to pay for a second sheet. The university should not be expected to pay for a second sheet (or lockers or whatever) for the community's use. I'm not against a second sheet, and I hope more than $4 million can be raised to go with the university's $4 million.

(My spouse and I happened to meet a player's parents in Madison. Mr. Player asked if we'd heard about the Ice Arena's renovations. He said the roof will be raised and the south end will be enclosed with seats. We were bummed to lose the standing room but thought raising the roof would be great! When we walked into the lounge I saw the renderings of the facility over the heads of those in front of me. The high, arched roof looked awsome! When I went closer, I saw that the picture was of the convo, and I speculate that the picture was the source of Mr. Player's information.)[/i]

The following is from a sheet that was handed out at the meeting:

The renovation will address three separate areas: infrastructure needs, cosmetic improvements and fan/community amenities, and varsity team needs. An exact list of improvements will not be finalized until an architect is selected and has had the opportunity to complete an analysis of priorities and costs; however, an initial list of priorities does include the following:

-Replace refrigeration system and all mechanical elements tied to the system
-Repair the roof and building insulation
-Ice plant repairs
-Clean-up the exterior of the facility
-Landscaping
-Re-pave the parking lot
-Replace or improve interior lighting
-Renovate the existing locker areas
-Renovate studio space into new locker rooms
-Convert the curling ice into a multi-purpose facility for skating and curling
-Address any ADA access shortcomings
-Seating improvements, including some sort of premium seating
-Paint the ceiling
-New scoreboard(s)/video board
-New sound system
-Update varsity team areas
-Hospitality lounge
-Lobby/main concourse
-Concession areas
-Media/Press area
-BGSU Hockey Hall of Fame

And you're right BG84, not much has been decided and there wasn't much information to give other than they have finally made a decision to do something, which in and of itself is a B!G step forward after endless talk and rumors of feasibiity study after feasibility study...

GO FALCONS!!
SWEEP NOTRE DAME!!!

As someone who has had many a friend that played at the BG Ice Arena, I can't belive financially it isn't worthwhile to have a second full sheet of ice available for youth sports in Bowling Green.

One good reason is to continue to foster the idea that the University and the city are One not two entities, which is what would happen should BGSU decide that they don't want the youth teams anymore.

Second, I wished that BG's broomball program was better than what it is, and I think that if you played on a normal rink divided in half, you'd see the awesomeness that is broomball.