A proposal for the Iceinline complex to be upgraded and relocated next to the Molyneux Aquatic Centre will be considered by the Vincent Community Board on Monday .
The two facilities are in Molyneux Park. The ice rink was opened in 1992 and the pool complex about a decade later.
The proposal was for two electricity connections to be reduced to a single connection, lower line charges and for the ice rink and pool plants to be combined so waste heat vented in the ice-making process could be harnessed to provide heat to the pool.
Central Otago District Council properties and facilities manager Mike Kerr recommends the board agree to Iceinline's building an ice rink next to the pool. He also recommends the board raise a loan of up to $1.5 million to help fund the project.
The loan repayments would have no impact on rates as they would be funded by the electricity cost savings, he said.
Mr Kerr suggests the redundant ice rink and building should come under council ownership, if it was not demolished as part of the project. The annual power costs for the pool are 42 % or $188,000 of the council's total power costs for the Vincent ward, he says.
Over the past seven years, the cost has increased on average every year by 6.8% .
Iceinline is used for curling, ice-skating and ice hockey and there was a proposal to cover the rink to extend its season. An upgraded facility could cost up to $3 million and include spectator stands, a new refrigeration plant and ventilation system and new ice groomer.
Mr Kerr said the combined ice rink/pool complex could attract more visitors to the town for longer periods.
If the board decided to proceed, the public would be consulted.
The project statement of proposal says about $44,000 would be saved in pool power costs in the first year the two facilities were combined. If power costs continued to rise by more than inflation then, over time, annual power savings would also increase.
