Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Construction on the lobby entrance, including a raised observation platform, continues Thursday at the Pat O'Donnell Civic Center in Ironwood. Civic center manager Michelle Rigoni-Sivula said that without any unintended delays the work could reach a point where the facility could open by mid to late February.
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood - With the construction calendar returning to normal following delivery and personnel delays, the Pat O'Donnell Civic Center may be open for use by mid to late February, according to officials.
Most of the essential work is expected to be completed by mid-February, and if the ice is ready to be made, then the building could be open for use by the end of the month, said Michelle Rigoni-Sivula, civic center manager. That is contingent on construction schedules and what the COVID-19 orders are at the time for gatherings at indoor venues, she said.
"As for when the facility will be completely done I can't answer that yet," she said.
Even with an opening as late into the winter season as February, the two central organizations that use the ice are making plans, she said. The Ice Crystals Figure Skating Club would still like to attempt a show in March, and officials with the Polar Bear Hockey youth program would like to run a summer hockey clinic, she said.
"I would like to run summer ice," Rigoni-Sivula said.
Right now, the construction is focusing on the front lobby area where the concessions are, a new upper level observing area, and the restroom fixtures for male, female and a third family restroom are being installed, she said. The arena construction is nearing the point that the dasher boards for the hockey rink could start installation by Jan. 18.
"They've been working diligently," Rigoni-Sivula said.
The commons area has a completely new redesign that is much more open than the old facility design, she said. The ceilings are higher, there are windows facing the Mt. Zion ski hill and Gogebic Community College, and there is a much improved lobby, concessions and skate rental area, she said.
The facility has been under construction since June. It is a replacement of the original Pat O'Donnell Civic Center, a 40-year-old structure's roof failed under heavy snow in March 2019. The city of Ironwood's insurance company is covering all costs for replacement other than what the city and civic center board want to add that is additional to the budget.
The roof and walls of the original facility were removed in the fall of 2019 when the insurance company installed a temporary inflatable dome over the existing ice rink facility for the 2019-20 winter season. The dome was removed in June to start work on the new structure on the footprint of the original Pat O'Donnell Civic Center.
The new arena has a similar metal exterior with improved entry, windows and aesthetics, according to Jim Collins, civic center board chair. The new facility also has a stronger roof system to help avoid the potential for collapses.
"It's more than just an ice rink; it's a multi-use facility," Collins said. "Our goal is that once we're up and running again we're going to use it for more than just ice skating."
