Problem with ice stadium

Photo: Google Maps
Photo: Google Maps
The Dunedin Ice Stadium could be forced to close to fix - of all things - a block of ice forming underneath its ice rinks.

Stadium manager Paris Heyd yesterday confirmed staff running the facility were in the early stages of planning to address the problem.

An underground ice block had formed near the centre of the building, below the facility's Olympic-sized ice and four-lane curling rinks, and was expanding, he said.

It was not yet known how big the block was, but left unchecked it had the potential to lift the surface and crack and warp the stadium's ice.

The ice formed, in a process known as ice or frost "heave'', when water molecules in the soil below a consistently cold surface began to freeze, creating new layers of ice underground.

Mr Heyd said the uplift had "not seriously'' distorted the rinks yet, but "the ground's freezing underneath, so there is movement''.

"Bad ones, they'll blow out concrete floors and they'll dent whole buildings,'' he said.

The problem had been known about for years, but had worsened with the failure of an underground heating system designed to protect against the problem.

The ice stadium opened in 2004, replacing the old Big Chill ice rink, and was run by Ice Sports Dunedin - a group comprising Dunedin's ice skating, curling, and ice hockey clubs.

The facility, which included seating for up to 1000 people, function rooms and a commercial kitchen, is said to boast some of the best ice in the southern hemisphere.

It has hosted international ice hockey fixtures, figure skating competitions and short track speed skating, as well as international curling teams, and was home to the Dunedin Thunder ice hockey team.

The building was owned by the Dunedin City Council, which was aware of the issue, but it was considered an operational issue to be dealt with by Ice Sports Dunedin, Mr Heyd said.

Solutions were still being considered, but it was likely the venue would have to close while the ice rinks were removed and the problem addressed, he said.

The cost of the repair, and how long it would take, were not yet known, he said.

"We're just trying to get some more information on the issue, and what other people have dealt with, and then the best step forward to try and work out, one, a solution to stop it happening in the future, and two, the extent of it and how long the repair time would be.''

chris.morris@odt.co.nz

 

Comments

I hope they have run this past the DCC and Cull, Paris Heyd might just find that it is nothing to do with the maintenance of plant but rather climate change.

 

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