Installing a fence, upgrading an ice plant, and replacing a kitchen appliance are three capital projects Mosaic Place wants to undertake in 2021 as part of an overall building maintenance program.
Spectra Venue Management Services — which oversees the building — wants to spend more than $11,648.34 to install a fence adjacent to the south parking lot, more than $125,553.80 to upgrade the ice plant for hockey and curling, and roughly $40,704 to replace the main kitchen range exhaust hood. The organization believes all three projects are important to protect staff, contractors, tenants, and assets, and ensure compliance with the fire code.
The total estimated cost is $177,247.70, with funding to come from the Mosaic Place capital carry forward account.
During a recent 2021 budget deliberation meeting, council voted 6-0 to approve the projects. Coun. Jamey Logan recused himself from the debate due to a conflict of interest.
“Our ice plant is in terrible shape. That’s the biggest issue,” said city manager Jim Puffalt.
The report indicates that the ice plant will be obsolete in 2021, which is why it needs to be maintained, said Coun. Heather Eby.
“An arena without an ice plant is not very efficient,” she said. “(Furthermore,) the kitchen range (hood) is not fire code compliant. It’s also going to be a complaint as well. So those are not thrills; they are things that need to be addressed.”
Parking lot fence
The south parking lot is the main lot for staff, tenants and contractors, a council report explained. This space is “porous” and allows the public to access the lot without any barriers preventing them from accessing that area. During game days, it’s difficult to manage that access without fencing or gates.
The fencing is expected to provide security and privacy and enhance safety for the three user groups. Moreover, during event days, the gates will be manned by staff or security to ensure access to the parking lots is only for authorized people.
Ice plant
“The ice plant at Mosaic Place is critical to the operations of the entire venue,” the report said. The ice plant cools the ice surfaces to meet recreational and contractual obligations, while it also supplements the building’s heating.
The ice plant’s control boards — or “the brain of the ice plant” — will be obsolete in 2021 and the boards are no longer manufactured. A failure of the physical board would make the ice plant inoperable.
There are advantages to upgrading the control system, the report said, such as using a cloud-based system, sustainability, monitoring, maintenance notifications, advanced scheduling, and automation.
Kitchen upgrade
During a semi-annual review of the main kitchen range exhaust hood, a crack in the exhaust ducting was detected, the report explained. This deficiency will need to be repaired before the main kitchen can operate since the crack and welding location is in a precarious location and requires plenty of work to access and repair.
The kitchen range hood exhaust system does not meet the fire code, either.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Jan. 11.
