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Dubuque council approves $1.27 million dehumidification upgrade at ImOn Ice Arena
Summary
The City Council adopted plans, specifications and a $1,265,800 estimated cost for a supplemental dehumidification system at ImOn Ice Arena, approving coordinated controls but confirming any future second ice sheet will need a separate system.
DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Dubuque City Council on Monday approved plans, specifications, form of contract and an estimated $1,265,800 cost to install a supplemental dehumidification system at ImOn Ice Arena.
City staff said the project adds a secondary dehumidification unit on the southeast lower roof, requires structural roof-truss modifications, new circular fabric air-dispersion ductwork, new gas piping, upgraded electrical poles and an automated control system that will coordinate the existing and new units. Assistant City Engineer Bob Schissel told the council the new unit is sized to supplement the arena’s existing 16,000 CFM dehumidification unit, which "still has a good 10 or 15 years of service life." He added the two systems "will be coordinated" through upgraded controls so they operate together.
The council heard that the supplemental system alone will service the main arena; Schissel said a potential future second ice sheet would require its own standalone dehumidification system. "A second sheet will have to have its own standalone, dehumidification system," he said. He also said options discussed but not recommended now — adding full air conditioning to make the arena suitable for dry-floor events and installing an emergency generator — proved significantly more expensive than budgeted and were deferred.
The project description in staff materials says the dehumidification equipment will be placed where it would not affect a potential future second ice sheet. Council members pressed for clarity on whether the new system could be integrated with later work; Schissel said the arena’s main and supplemental systems will be integrated, but a separate second-sheet system would not be tied into those units.
There were no members of the public who spoke on the project during the hearing. The council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution approving the plans and estimated cost (roll call: Farber, Resnick, Sprank, Wethal, Jones, Roussell, Cavanagh; motion passed 7-0).
Why it matters: Staff said the supplemental unit addresses summertime ventilation shortfalls and extends reliable environmental controls for ice preservation and user comfort. Council members noted deferred items (air conditioning, generator) could be reconsidered in later budgeting or when/if a second ice sheet advances.
The resolution directs staff to proceed with the public bidding process under the approved plan and specifications. The motion passed 7-0.
