City staff presented conceptual designs for a downtown ice ribbon roughly 10,000 square feet in size with a potential interior bouldering park for warm months.

"The total ice surface is just shy of 10,000 square feet," a staff presenter said. Designers described a 16-foot-wide ribbon circulation around a smaller "learn to skate" rink, with support buildings and equipment located behind the facility.

Council discussion was lengthy and mixed. Supporters said a seasonal rink had previously drawn families downtown and could be an anchor that helps local businesses in slow months. "This is worth it just for it being worth it for kids and for families," one council member said.

Opponents and cautious councilors raised several concerns: the $6–$8 million estimated capital cost, an estimated $250,000 per year operations and maintenance (O&M) cost for seasonal staffing and operations, insurance and safety interactions between ice skaters and bouldering patrons, and unclear revenue models. One councilor said a bouldering element "plopped in the middle of an ice rink" would create oversight and safety challenges. Staff noted the boulders alone could add about $1 million to the capital estimate.

Staff presented programmatic options for year-round activation (roller skate conversion, summer programming, amphitheater or farmer's-market uses) and described a plan to contract seasonal operations to a third-party vendor rather than shift city staff onto the schedule.

The council did not approve construction funding. Members directed staff to continue the existing design contract, obtain a refined operational-cost estimate, produce alternatives for off-season uses, and return with more detailed O&M and revenue scenarios, including conservative estimates of visitors and facility capacity. Staff said an additional detailed operational-assessment contract would cost about $65,000 to complete.