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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.03.10 Joint Council School Meeting 0<0 City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, MN 55024 Mission Statement Through teamwork and cooperation, the City of Farmington provides quality services that preserve our proud past and foster a promisingfuture. AGENDA JOINT CITY COUNCIL I SCHOOL BOARD MEETING FEBRUARY 3, 2010 5:30 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS . 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL 4. APPROVE AGENDA 5. FARMINGTON ICE ARENA TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS 6. ADJOURN FARMINGTON ARENA TASK FORCE February 1, 2010 Mayor City Council Members Superintendent of Farmington Public Schools School Board Members Officers-Farmington Youth Hockey Association You have directed us to provide a range of options for the future of the Schmitz-Maki Arena and/or arenas in the City of Farmington. It is believed that a local arena(s) enhances the quality of life for local residents. It can provide curricular as well as extracurricular opportunities for all residents. You have acknowledged that the Schmitz-Maki Arena is now in need of major repairs to keep it operational. We are acutely aware that major capital expenditures are a part of all recommendations with the exception of not taking any action. Both the City and the School District have funding options through Lease Revenue Bonds, Lease Levy, as well as others. The Farmington Youth Hockey Association is limited. They currently are sponsored by one Charitable Gaming site but have seen revenue fall from $70,000 to $12,000 with the current economic conditions. Should you decide to further explore one or several of these arena options, it is our recommendation that the finance directors of these bodies meet and further explore the best option to finance the project. The City of Farmington currently serves approximately 20,000 residents. The School District serves a slightly large area. The Farmington Youth Hockey Association is currently serving 350 families with 430 active participants. The High School provides both varsity and junior varsity programs for boys and girls. The Hockey Association currently rents approximately 800 hours of ice time between October and March while renting another 500 hours of ice time in Faribault, Hastings, South St. Paul and other arenas where ice may be available. The high school hockey teams use the Schmitz-Maki Arena approximately 300 hours annually. It is with these factors in mind that we explored a multitude of options that are presented in attachments to this summary. Our committee used a democratic process to prioritize these options and agree that the four (4) listed below would best serve the end users of the facility. The attachments will list the positive and negative aspects of each recommendation. First recommendation: Use the Schmitz-Maki Arena for other community activities when two (2) sheets of ice are completed at a new site. Second recommendation: Use the Schmitz-Maki Arena for other community activities when one (1) arena is completed on a new site. Third recommendation: Repair the Schmitz-Maki Arena and add a second sheet of ice elsewhere. Fourth recommendation: Do nothing to the Schmitz-Maki Arena but purchase and store the ice plant required to replace the existing equipment at Schmitz-Maki or to use it for a new arena on another site. It is hard to assess the economic impact of a local arena (s.) Most arenas operate close to a 'break even' point financially. The 'gain' for the community is in exposure, visitors leaving dollars in the community and raising the 'curb appeal' for the City to potential residents. We have appreciated the opportunity to assess the options and provide you with the information uncovered. From our prospective, it has been a worthwhile journey. Respectfully yours, Craig Kronholm Facilitator for the Arena Task Force Committee ATTACHMENT NUMBER 1 Arena Task Force Members NAME Peter Herlofsky Mike Haley Randy Distad Dr. Brad Meeks Jeff Priess Jon Summer Nick Gerold Don Johnson Cal Huntley Robin Hanson Mike Pierce Craig Kronholm AFFILIATION City Staff City Park and Recreation Advisory Commission City Staff School District Superintendent School District Staff School District Athletic Director Farmington Youth Hockey Association Farmington Youth Hockey Association Farmington Youth Hockey Association Citizen at large Citizen at large Facilitator Attachment Number 2 The Options listed in the Executive Summary in order of preference are No.6, No.7, and a tie between No.5 and No.9. The Task Force explored the following options: 1. Do Nothine: The membership felt that indoor ice enhanced the visibility of Farmington and was needed in the community. Positives: None Negatives: -With the continued deterioration of the ice making equipment, a breakdown causing loss of ice could doom the skating programs and the potential to add more programming. Youth hockey felt that if this were to happen that there program would not exist because they would not be able to find enough ice time elsewhere to fit their program's needs. 2. Use a temporary/portable ice makine: system that could be placed directly over the existine: concrete floor at Schmitz-Maki. 2a. An option to this would be to include new dasher boards. 2b. An option to this would be to remove the entire slab, raise the sand base and install the piping mats on the sand. 2c. Install the compressors in the existing mechanical room. Positives: -This option would allow at least one ice season to occur, which would buy time to construct a new facility. -With the ice making compressors set up outside, this unit could be moved to another unit in the future. Negatives: -Lack of parking is an issue. -Flood plain issues. -ADA issues. A discussion with the Building Department determined that by only replacing the ice making equipment along with the rink concrete slab would not trigger any ofthe requirements for upgrading the ADA requ irements. -Option 2c removes the mobility of the new equipment. 3. Make improvements to Schmitz-Maki Arena. Would provide a solution to the current situation but doesn't address the desire to have two sheets of ice in Farmington, which would allow youth hockey not to have to travel to arenas in other communities for practice times. It would involve removing the entire rink surface (concrete and piping) and replacing the piping with a roll out mat that serves as the piping. Positives: -Allows the current programs to remain intact with the limitation listed above. -Negates the cost of a complete new structure. Negatives: -See the negatives listed in No.2 above. Flood plain and ADA issues could potentially extend the timeline to make changes significantly. -The cost to update likely would be a significant portion of what a new arena would cost and you would still have a dated facility. Of3 efl Of4 4. Repair Schmitz-MaId Arena and add a second sheet of ice on the Schmitz-MaId Arena site. This option also would not meet the parking needs as required by City Code although a variance could be requested in order to address the parking requirements. Positives: -It provides the two sheets of ice that meet the current and future demands of skating programs. Negatives: -All of the negatives listed in Nos. 2 and 3 above. -This option has some unknowns about what kinds of regulatory requirements would need to be met from a flood plain standpoint and the impact it would have on the Vermillion River, which has been designated as a trout stream by the DNR. The cost ofthis option would be affected by having to fill in the flood plain. 5. Repair Schmitz-MaId Arena and construct a second sheet of ice somewhere eIse. Positives: -It provides the two sheets of ice that meet the current and future demands of the skating programs. - It would allow Schmitz-Maki to have a shorter season from November to February. - It provides a facility for late fall and early spring that could be rented by youth and adult sports groups to use for training purposes. These sports could include lacrosse, soccer, batting cages for baseball and softball, tennis, etc. Negatives: -Two sites demands two operating budgets along with two ice resurfacing machines (Zambonis.) -Two sites still makes hockey tournaments unlikely due to the transportation between sheets. - While this is neither a negative or a positive, this would require the purchase of a turf product that could be rolled out on top of the concrete indoor tennis, soccer, etc. to occur. 6. Use Schmitz-MaId Arena for other purposes and construct two sheets of ice somewhere else. This option addresses the long term solution to having ice in Farmington. This would require that Option #2 would have to be considered in order to make sure that ice is provided until the new two sheet facility could be constructed and opened for use. The advantage of the high school site over the Fairgrounds site was that it could be used in the school curriculum for physical education classes. ~ 7. Use Schmitz-MaId Arena for other purposes and construct one sheet of ice somewhere else. Of This option allows one new sheet with the potential of another sheet to be added to the site. 8. Replace the area of the Schmitz-MaId Arena that is known to leak. Positives: -Allows the existing arena to operate with the least amount of dollars expended. Negatives: -The facility still has rink piping that will fail in the near future leading to incorporate one of the other options. 9. Do nothine to the Schmitz-MaId but purchase all of the mechanical equipment required to keep Schmitz- MaId Arena operational should a total breakdown occur. This provides the equipment that can be moved to a new arena. ASSOCIATED COSTS Option Description Option #2 Replace the existing slab, raise the sand base and place ice making equipment on the exterior of the building ...........................................$600,000 Place mat in a new 5" concrete slab (removes the mobility of the system)................................................................... + $83,000 Add a new dasher system Steel frame..........................................................................................................+ $180,000 Aluminum and fiberglass ...................................................................................+ $219,000 Option #2c Same as above, but install the compressors inside the current mechanical room ...................................................................... $5 80,000 Option #8 Replace the area ofSchmitz-Maki that is known to leak..........................................$50,000 There are several arena facilities currently being constructed. Today's pricing for a double sheet arena without any unusual amenities is approximately $135 dollars per square foot. This amounts to $8,500,000 - $9,000,000 A single sheet arena is currently priced at approximately $150 dollars per square foot. This amounts to $6,000,000 - $6,500,000. SITE Possible sites discussed for a new sheet (s) sheet of ice were the Dakota County Fairgrounds and the new Farmington High School site. There seemed to be a consensus that the high school site would be better because it would allow the physical education classes to use the arena if it were constructed next to the high school. Parking is already provided so the amount of land required would not be as great. The City also has 42 acres of land located north of 1951h Street and Diamond Path intersection. This was received from Fairhill Development as part of the park dedication process. No.1 No.2 No.2a No.2b No.2c No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 FINANCIAL SUMMARY Do nothing Install a temporary system at Schmitz-Maki Add new dashers (The boards/glass system) Remove existing slab and install new piping and concrete No. 2b but install the compressors inside S-M. Remove the existing slab, install mats, mount compressor outside Repair S-M and build a new arena on-site ADA and flood plain requirements are as of yet unknown Repair S-M and construction a new arena off-site Construct a double sheet arena at a new site Construct a single sheet arena at a new site Repair the existing leaks at S-M The leaks are believed to be in one area but the piping is old and subject to new leaks Purchase and store a complete ice making system No Cost TBD $180,000-$219,000 $683,000 $663,000 $600,000 Unknown Approx. $7.5 million Approx. $9 million Approx. $6 million $50,000 and up $352,000 City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Arena Task Force Meeting Notes Members Present: Craig Kronholm, Jeff Priess, Don Johnson, Nick Gerold, Mike Haley, Peter Herlofsky, Robin Hanson, Brad Meeks, Jon Summer, Mike Pierce and Randy Distad Members Absent: Cal Huntley Meeting began at 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall I. Review of January 20, 2010 Meeting Notes Kronholm asked if there were any changes to the January 20, 2010 meeting notes. A question was raised about Option #2 and if that was a permanent or temporary solution and the answer was that it could be both. II. Create 3-4 Recommended Options to Provide Short-Term and Long-Term Solutions Kronholm reminded Task Force members that the overall main goal is to keep at least one sheet of ice operating in Farmington at all times. Kronhom stated that the goal tonight is to create a summary report for City Council and School Board members for their joint meeting on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. He posted all of the options that the Task Force discussed during the first two meetings. The options were as follows: . Option #1 Remove a 30 foot by 30 foot area of the rink floor where leaks have been occurring and replace piping and then pour new concrete floor in the area where it was removed . Option #2 Remove entire rink floor and piping and install new coils in sand and use a portable mechanical system . Option #2A Everything the same as Option #2 except pour new concrete slab over coils and install new dasher boards . Option #3 Same as Option #2 but use existing mechanical room for new compressor (new ice machine) . Option #4 Do nothing . Option #5 Same as Option #4 but purchase and store portable system in case existing system breaks down . Option #6 Repair existing and add new sheet on current site . Option #7 Repair existing and add a second sheet of ice elsewhere . Option #8 Not use Schmitz-Maki Arena for indoor ice purposes and build two new sheets of ice elsewhere . Option #8A Not use Schmitz-Maki Arena for indoor ice purposes after one new sheet of ice is built elsewhere Task Force members were then asked to vote for the top three options that they preferred. After counting up the votes, the four following options scored the highest: Option #5, #7, #8 and #8A It was determined that pros and cons should be developed for each of the options so that they could be shared with the City Council and School Board. m. Create Recommended Financing Options Financing options were once again reviewed and included the following: . Fundraising . Referendum vs. no referendum . Lease levy . Improvement bond Discussion took place on what kind of financial commitment Farmington Youth Hockey Association could make towards capital cost of a new facility. FYHA representatives stated that ice rental for them is something they can control. Fundraising through increasing the registration fee to cover capital costs will be difficult due to the registration fee already being high. Discussion also took place on possible locations for a new facility. Both the School District and the City own property that would provide the five acres needed for a new facility. The School District has land next to the high school that could be used for a new facility. The City has 42 acres of land that was received through the park dedication process from the Fairhill Development. This land is located north of 1951h Street and Diamond Path intersection. If neither of these sites is used, then the cost to construct the facility would go up due to having to pay money to acquire the land unless a third partner could be brought in that has land and would offer it up for the project at no cost. A question was asked about if Schmitz-Maki Arena is no longer used as an ice arena what would happen to it. Task Force members suggested that it could be used as an indoor facility for off-season sports such as soccer, lacrosse, baseball, football, etc. It would be a matter of purchasing indoor turf and then putting it down on top of the existing concrete floor. IV. Discuss Format for Presentation of Options to Political Bodies At the February 3,2010 City Council and School Board joint meeting, it was determined that Kronholm would present a executive summary of the task force findings that would include the process used to determine the recommended options to be considered by the political bodies. Task Force members are invited to attend the joint meeting and provide input during the meeting. V. Adjournment The meeting concluded at 6: 10 p.m. City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us Wednesday, January 20, 2010 Arena Task Force Meeting Notes Schmitz-MaId Arena Tour Members Present: Brad Meeks, Jon Summer, Jeff Priess, Cal Huntley, Nick Gerold, Robin Hanson, Mike Pierce, Craig Kronholm, Randy Distad Members Absent: Mike Haley, Don Johnson and Peter HerIofsky A tour ofthe compressor room, team rooms and mezzanine area at the Schmitz-Maki Arena was provided to Task Force members at 4:30 p.m. Regular Meeting Members Present: Craig Kronholm, Mike Pierce, Jeff Priess, Jon Summer, Cal Huntley, Nick Gerold, Peter HerIofsky, Robin Hanson and Randy Distad Members Absent: Mike Haley, Brad Meeks and Don Johnson Meeting began at 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall I. Review of January 13,2010 Meeting Notes Kronholm asked if there were any changes to the January 13,2010 meeting notes. No changes were identified by Task Force members. II. Ice Arena Pet Peeves Kronholm facilitated a discussion about what some of the pet peeves were for members when they are in an ice arena. Pet peeves included the following: . Small lobby areas . Poor circulation areas that brings the public watching the game in contact with players during intermission between periods . Dressing rooms that do not have restroom and shower facilities in them . Small dressing rooms . Lack of adequate space for storage of equipment . Having concessions area on the second floor . Having a facility that is not fully accessible . Not having locker rooms separated from the public circulation space . Not having dedicated locker rooms that allows equipment to be stored on site . Not having additional meeting room space that allows groups to meet at the arena . Not having benches available to the public to sit down and put their skates on . Inadequate office space that doesn't provide good visibility of the entire building . Lack of parental supervision Additional discussion occurred on if there were acceptable minimum standards that should be met when an ice arena is built. Minimum standards should include at least six dressing rooms. Seating capacity is important to consider especially if wanting to host high school sectional tournament games. Size ofrink such as NHL size (200 feet by 85 feet) or Olympic size (200 feet by 100 feet) is not necessarily a standard but more of a preference. ID. Review Short-Term and Long-Term Ice Facility Options Kronhom reminded Task Force members that the goal was to explore options on how to solve the current ice situation while planning long term for ice in the community and then narrow it down to 3-4 options that would include pros and cons for each of the options. These options would then be provided to the City Council and School Board. Kronholm reminded everyone that the agreed upon minimum for options was to have available at all times at least one sheet of ice in the community. Kronholm provided additional information concerning new options to consider. These additional new options included the following: Option #1: On the existing arena floor, cut and remove a 30 foot by 30 foot slab of concrete and all piping and rebar in the concrete where the leaks have previously occurred. Replace the existing piping with new piping and tie it into existing piping adjacent to this area. After it is tied in, pour new concrete over the new piping. Then complete a pressure test to see if this addresses the leaks. This only addresses the area of where the current leaks are and by doing a pressure test it may show additional leaks in new areas ofthe floor, which would then have to be repaired. Repairing the 30 foot by 30 foot area is estimated to cost $50,000. Option #2: Remove entire concrete slab from the rink including all of the piping and rebar in the concrete and replace with a portable refrigeration system. This option would involve the following: . Remove and replace entire concrete slab required for the installation of the piping and headers . Core drill a hole into the outside wall of the building to allow for the portable mechanical unit that sits outside of the building to be connected . Remove and reinstall the required dasher boards . Recover R22 refrigerant from existing system . Backfill and compact sand to required elevation . Place 7 foot by 200 foot mats to cover rink area . Install sand over mats to required final elevation . Provide exterior slab and fencing outside of building for mechanical unit . Install packaged outdoor refrigeration unit capable of cooling the rink surface . Install underground piping and headers as required . Provide and install R507 refrigerant/30% glycol solution for cooling rink to approximately 15 degrees Fahrenheit . Insulate the rink headers . Place required concrete over trenches . Provide electrical connections and it is assumed that the existing power supply is adequate . Provide required equipment, permits, freight and 1 year warranty This option would cost approximately $600,000 and it could be used for the next 20-30 years. It is portable system so it could be removed and used somewhere else including at an outdoor rink. Option #3: Do Option #2 but rework the existing mechanical room from a direct Freon system to an indirect glycol cooling system. Add an air separator and expansion tank for the glycol closed loop system. This option would allow for a deduction of $20,000 from the cost of Option #2. Kronholm stated that he has discussed with Ken Lewis the City's Building Official about whether or not replacing the existing mechanical system, the concrete floor and the piping in the concrete floor would trigger any Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. He stated that Lewis said that if it is just replacing the existing mechanical and refrigeration system it would not trigger any ADA requirements for the arena. IV. Discuss Options for Future Arena Operations Kronholm shared with the group estimated costs if a new facility would be built. The cost depends on what type of materials are used during construction. The options to consider for construction materials are as follows: Option #1: A Butler type building that uses steel or fiberglass walls and roof would cost approximately $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 to construct a one sheet facility, which would include all ice making equipment. Cheaper to build but the materials are not as durable as other construction materials. Option #2: Precast tip up concrete wall panels. Constructing with this type of material would cost over $6,000,000 to build a one sheet facility, which would include all ice making equipment. The benefit to going with this type of material is that it is the most durable material to use. Kronholm stated that construction time would be 12-15 months and this would be from the time it was decided to construct a new building until it could be opened for use. V. Discuss Financing Options Kronholm identified that the City, School District and FYHA would be three parties that could be included in the financing of the short-term and long-term solutions to having indoor ice in the community. The following comments and questions were made by the group concerning financing options: . The School District and City both have financing tools in place that would allow them to finance their portion of a capital project. . FYHA has limited tools in place to help pay for the cost to either make capital improvements to the existing arena or if a new facility was constructed. The question raised was how does FYHA pay for their share of the capital costs? An idea presented was to place a surcharge on the registration fees that are charged that would go directly to help pay off the debt. Negative with this is that if the fee goes too high it may cause members to drop out of FYHA because of the cost. The other issue with FYHA making a financial commitment is whether future FYHA board of directors could be held to previous board of director financial commitments. . The past commitment for FYHA was to rent hours at the arena but not contribute any funding to capital costs. . If FYHA contributes funds to cover capital costs, it will be a double hit because the same people will also be paying higher taxes to make the capital improvements. . Who will take care of operating current Schmitz-Maki Arena if it is repaired? . Who will take care of operating a second rink if Schmitz-Maki Arena is repaired and a second sheet of ice is constructed? . The City could finance capital costs through issuing improvement bonds and then paying this back through a tax levy. . The School District could finance capital costs through a lease levy. . The School District could finance net operating costs through an operating levy. This levy could be used regardless of who owned the facility. However this levy could not be used to finance capital costs. . Another financing method for both the School District and City could be through a general obligation bond referendum. There wouldn't be time to do a referendum this year and still have time to repair Schmitz-Maki Arena for next ice season. There also is an issue with a referendum being held back in 2007 that included a two sheet ice facility but didn't pass. There was a general feeling that it probably wouldn't pass if a referendum were held again. So the question is whether or not you try to fund it through a referendum vote or do you fund it through some other method. . Financing of the capital costs goes back to creating several financing options and then let the political bodies make the final decision on how to finance the capital improvements. VI. Set Next Meeting Agenda Next meeting will be held at 5:00 p.m. in the same Conference Room at City Hall on Wednesday, January 27, 2010. The agenda will be to develop 3-4 recommended options for capital improvements and several options on the financing of these improvements. Pros and cons for each option will be provided. The options being recommended should address the short term and long term solutions to having indoor ice for the greater Farmington community. The options will be forwarded to the City Council and School Board for consideration. VII. Adjournment The meeting concluded at 6:05 p.m. City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ciJarmington.mn.us Notes from the Wednesday, January 13,2010 Arena Task Force meeting Members Present: Craig Kronholm, Mike Pierce, Jeff Priess, Brad Meeks, Cal Huntley, Nick Gerold, Don Johnson, Peter Herlofsky, Robin Hanson and Randy Distad Members Absent: Jon Summer and Mike Haley Meeting began at 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall I. Introductions Members of the task force introduced themselves and what group/organization they represented. n. Facilitator Background Information Craig Kronholm, who will be the facilitator for the Task Force, gave a brief introduction of himself including his experience in the construction business, especially in the construction of ice facilities. m. Goals and Objectives of the Task Force The facilitator provided what he saw were the objectives of the Task Force to achieve and stated that these were based on previous discussion he has had with both School District and City staff members. He saw the primary goal or mission being to provide options for the City, School District and the Farmington Youth Hockey Association to explore the future of ice in Farmington. He also shared with the group the objectives that were looking to be achieved and they included: . Review known options and explore others . Determine needs versus wants . Determine timeline for the task force to complete a final report and also possible financing and construction . Complete a final report with options to consider for addressing the short term and long term solutions of ice facilities in Farmington that would include financing and construction options IV. Task Force Timeline A review was made of the schedule for the task force to complete its work. Meeting dates and time that were identified worked for task force members who were present at the meeting. There will be a meeting on Wednesday, January 20th and Wednesday, January 2i'\ The task force is scheduled to complete its work and make a recommendation to the City Council and the School Board at the January 27th meeting. V. Discussion on Short-Term and Long-Term Ice Facility Options The facilitator asked that both power and money be set aside during this discussion so that everyone could focus on providing ideas about what the options are to address both short-term and long-term solutions rather than getting hung up on who had the power and/or how to finance the solutions. Members came up with the following options: 1. Do nothing. This did not seem to be a viable option to the task force because members felt that indoor ice was needed in the community. If there was nothing done to address the current situation it would cause the high school and youth hockey to scramble and try to find ice time elsewhere should the existing ice arena break down and ice was not available in Farmington next season. Youth hockey felt that if this were to happen that there program would not exist because they would not be able to find enough ice time elsewhere to fit their program's needs. .. ~ . .. 2. Use a temporary/portable ice making system that could be placed directly over the existing concrete floor. This option would allow at least one ice season to occur, which would buy time to construct a new facility. This type of system would cost between $40,00-$50,000 to rent annually. This type of system does take longer to make ice initially but once the ice base has been formed, it isn't much different from the current refrigeration system. 3. Make improvements to Schmitz-Maki Arena. Would provide a solution to the current situation but doesn't address the desire to have two sheets of ice in Farmington, which would allow youth hockey not to have to travel to arenas in other communities for practice times. There was some discussion about whether or not the improvements to the existing refrigeration and mechanical system would trigger Americans with Disabilities Act requirements to make the building compliant with the ADA. 4. Repair Schmitz-Maki Arena and add a second sheet of ice on the Schmitz-Maki Arena site. This option has some unknowns about what kinds of regulatory requirements would need to be met from a flood plain standpoint and the impact it would have on the Vermillion River, which has been designated as a trout stream by the DNR. The cost of this option would be affected by having to fill in the flood plain. This option also would not meet the parking needs as required by City Code although a variance could be requested in order to address the parking requirements. 5. Repair Schmitz-Maki Arena and construct a second sheet of ice somewhere else. This option would provide two sheets of ice albeit at two different locations making operational costs higher. It would provide an opportunity to have the Schmitz-Maki Arena to have a shorter season from November to February to handle the pressure during the busiest part of the ice season, while opening up the opportunity to have the Schmitz Maki Arena provide a facility for late fall and early spring that could be rented by youth and adult sports groups to use for training purposes. These sports could include lacrosse, soccer, batting cages for baseball and softball, tennis, etc. This would require the purchase of a turf product that could be rolled out on top of the concrete in order for these types of uses to be accommodated. Possible sites discussed for a second sheet of ice were the Dakota County Fairgrounds and the new Farmington High School site. There seemed to be a consensus that the high school site would be better because it would allow the physical education classes to use the arena if it were constructed next to the high school. This option would allow in the future to build a second sheet of ice at the high school after the Schmitz-Maki Arena improvements reached the end of its useful life. 6. Abandon the Schmitz-Maki Arena and construct two sheets of ice somewhere else. This option addresses the long term solution to having ice in Fannington. This would require that Option #2 would have to be considered in order to make sure that ice is provided until the new two sheet facility could be built and opened for use. Locations discussed for a two sheet facility could include the new high school and the Dakota County Fairgrounds. The advantage of the high school site over the Fairgrounds site was that it could be used in the school curriculum for physical education classes. VI. Discuss next weeks meeting agenda Members of the task force will meet at the Schmitz-Maki Arena at 4:30 p.m. in order to tour the facility. The regular meeting would reconvene at City Hall approximately at 5:00 p.m. The facilitator asked that members come to the next meeting with what at least one pet peeve they have with the way an arena that they have been in was designed VII. Adjournment The meeting concluded at 6:00 p.m.