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Arena needs structural fix Hockey could move to Babbitt for part of upcoming ’24-25 season
Hockey season, at least at the Ely Arena, will be delayed for several weeks to make needed structural repairs.
School board members held an emergency meeting Monday and approved motions allowing engineering firm SEH to come up with designs for the repairs and to pursue quotes in advance of the board’s October meeting.
In the meantime, both high school and youth hockey and practices and games could be moved to Babbitt when the season begins in November.
The moves came after SEH recommended the building be closed because of structural issues found during an ongoing athletic facilities assessment on the school campus.
“What they told us was that they determined that four columns on the west side of the arena are structurally unsound and quite honestly need immediate repair for safe occupancy as soon as possible,” said superintendent Anne Oelke.
SEH issued a recommendation for “temporary stability measures” Sept. 9, and school officials including the district’s facilities team met with engineers that week, leading to the call for Tuesday’s board session.
The board voted 5-0, with chairman Ray Marsnik absent, to proceed as recommended by the facilities team.
“We discussed different options and the additional costs of finding ice time at other arenas and transportation costs and I can say for the facility team, we came out of that meeting supporting moving forward with the temporary repair as soon as possible,” said Oelke.
The board authorized $11,500 in payments to SEH to come up with the designs, and because the total repair is estimated at less than $150,000, the district may directly negotiate with contractors.
The district has engaged both Max Grey Construction and Lenci Construction, who are currently on site doing other work as part of an ongoing facilities project, and school officials hope local subcontractors can be found to expedite the process.
“Hopefully whatever the scope of the repair is, local businesses can do it as they’re going to be here versus somebody not from the Ely area,” said board member Tom Omerza. “It won’t be as high a priority for them.”
Board member Tony Colarich, who is part of the district’s facilities committee, said the repairs are needed if the building is to be occupied this winter.
“The options are limited,” said Colarich. “If we do nothing, we are not going to have the hockey program and we may lose the building if there’s a heavy snow load.”
Colarich added that engineers determined “the west walls are breaking away” at the roughly 50-year-old arena, and “the wall is bending out toward the west. And if there’s a heavy snow load the structural integrity of the building would be compromised.”
Oelke said that plans call for quotes to be gathered in time for board action in October and for work to begin soon after.
It’s not immediately clear when the arena could be reopened for hockey, but it’s anticipated that local hockey would move to Babbitt for the start of the season.
Both the school district and the Ely Blue Line Club, which runs the community youth hockey program, have initiated communication with the city of Babbitt for ice time there.
High school hockey practice is set to begin Nov. 11 and the Timberwolves have their first home game Nov. 30.2 and a half
