The South Davis Recreation District board voted this week to proceed with a repair to the chiller compressor at the Bountiful Ice Ribbon, a repair Councilwoman Bradshaw told the Bountiful City Council is likely to be expensive and could jeopardize the entire unit if not addressed.

“The compressor on the chiller has had issues for a number of years,” Councilwoman Bradshaw said during council reports. “There’s concern that it’s a very expensive piece of equipment and if we’re not able to do this repair it might then jeopardize the entire piece of equipment.”

Bradshaw told the council the ice ribbon sits on city parkland and the city owns the facility and infrastructure, but operates under an interlocal agreement with the South Davis Recreation District. Under that agreement, she said, the partners split the cost of major repairs 50/50. The rec district voted to move forward with the compressor repair, Bradshaw said, and the city can expect the issue to return to council with cost details.

Council members were told there are local residents who regularly follow ice ribbon maintenance and may comment when the repair funding appears on a future agenda. Bradshaw said the district’s differing budget cycle (calendar year) contributed to the timing of the decision.

Staff did not provide a dollar figure at the meeting. Bradshaw and other council members emphasized the city’s dual role as owner of the physical infrastructure and partner with the rec district on operations. The council did not take a vote on the repair at the Oct. 14 meeting; the board’s action to proceed means the city will later consider its share under the interlocal arrangement.

Why it matters: The ice ribbon is a city-owned recreational asset. A major equipment failure could lead to higher long-term replacement costs and could affect seasonal operations; the interlocal’s 50/50 repair split shifts part of the decision and funding burden to the city.

What’s next: Staff indicated the repair will be brought back to the council with cost estimates and options for funding under the capital or operational budgets.