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The St. Louis Park Rec Center entrance


ST. LOUIS PARK REC CENTER


Staying Ahead of the Curve — from Refrigeration to Recreation


by Shelby Brooks W


hen St. Louis Park and Rec Center in Minnesota opened its doors in 1971, the approximately


40,000 square-foot facility showcased three pools and a single sheet of ice. Today, the impressive community


“playground,” owned and operated by the City of St. Louis Park, spans 100,000-square-feet and includes two NHL-size rinks and an outdoor aquatics park with all the “bells and whistles.” And that’s not all. Plans are underway for the construction of an outdoor ice rink in addition to major renovations to the existing indoor rinks. “Te Rec Center will be undergoing


major renovations beginning in March,” says St. Louis Park Rec Center Manager Jason Eisold. “Both rink refrigeration systems and rink floors will be replaced with a single ammonia refrigeration plant.


12


Tis project will eliminate the current dependency on R-22, well ahead of the 2020 EPA ban on the manufacture and importation of R-22.” (See “EPA Ban on R-22,” Page 15) Te city will apply a $400,000 grant


from the Mighty Ducks Ice Arena Grant Program to fund part of the $4.8-million renovation project.


Commercial


Refrigeration Systems will install the new ice-making systems for a cost of $2.6 million. Other improvements include LED lighting, low emissivity ceiling and new dasher boards on both rinks; new dehumidification on the west rink and an RO water treatment system and melting pit and bleacher repairs on the east rink. Design plans for the covered, outdoor


ice rink, which will operate from November through March, are being finalized. In spring, the rink will be


ISI EDGE SPRING 2016


converted to an athletic venue with artificial turf. During summer, it will be used for ‘dry floor’ events requiring a large open-air facility, such as weddings, flea markets and other special events.


Due to their central location within the Twin Cities, the St. Louis Park Rec Center draws skaters from surrounding communities.


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