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Council continues debate over Midway ice rink replacement and activity building design, seeks more detail before committing funds
Summary
Council spent extended time refining plans for a new rink and activity building on Main Street, discussing footprint, circulation, skater storage, roof lines, timing relative to Swiss Days and pending grant awards; members asked staff and architect for site walk-through and updated, dimensioned plans before the May 20 work meeting.
Midway City Council engaged in a sustained discussion on May 6 about replacing the ice rink and building an adjoining activity/warming building at 150 West Main Street, focusing on layout, roof drainage details and staging around Swiss Days.
Architects and staff described a plan that includes a multipurpose warming area (designed to seat about 50), concession access points, skate storage and circulation. Council members debated whether to move the rink north (roughly 11–15 feet was discussed) to preserve a northern pedestrian walkway shown in the master plan, or to shift the building south and tuck it against the community center to gain usable interior space. Council members raised roof-drainage and snow-loading concerns if the new building connected directly to the existing community-center roof; staff said a flat-roof membrane and piped drains would be required for any valley created by the connection.
Storage and operational questions were raised: the plan currently has no full basement for skate storage (a crawlspace exists), and council members asked staff to confirm whether skate racks and year-round skate storage will be feasible and how the racks might be reconfigured to allow multipurpose use in summer. Councilmembers also discussed circulation and concession access to avoid bottlenecks.
Timing and funding remain open. Staff said some grant applications are pending (one award expected any day) but that the first grant has a 28-month window; staff also said updated cost numbers used in older grant documents were not yet reconciled with the current square footage and that some budget items will need revision. Several councilmembers urged getting dimensioned plans, having a site walk and making decisions before Swiss Days to avoid blocking the square; staff committed to provide updated plans and to host a site walk during the May 20 work meeting at 4 p.m. Several members said completion this year is unlikely without a confirmed large grant and fully finalized plans.
Ending: Council directed staff and the architect to supply dimensioned plans, further cost updates and basement/storage clarification and to meet on May 20 (work meeting) for a site walk and further discussion.
