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Council reviews low bids for rink work, staff recommends delaying Blue Line Arena connection
Summary
Councilors reviewed bids for ice‑rink refrigeration and dasherboards for the VFW and Civic Center, heard staff estimates for construction and connection options with Blue Line Arena, and were told the steering committee recommends rejecting an immediate refrigeration‑connection alternate pending later replacement of the Blue Line system.
East Grand Forks — City staff told the council Tuesday that two qualified bids were received for the ice‑rink refrigeration systems and one bid for dasherboards, and that making an immediate connection from a new VFW ice plant to the Blue Line Arena would add substantial cost and unknowns.
“Bid package one for our facility improvements project closed Thursday, November 13th. We received two bids for the ice rink refrigeration system and ice floor,” Jeremy King told the council as presenters reviewed the bid booklet and tabulation.
Tom McDonald walked councilors through the bid book, schedules and guaranteed maximum price estimates. For the VFW, staff said the construction portion based on the received bids totals roughly $3.385 million, with a total project cost (including soft costs) of about $3.781 million; the Civic Center construction portion was presented at roughly $1.777 million, with a total project cost near $1.976 million.
Only two refrigeration firms bid the work and Rink Systems submitted the single dasherboard bid. Tom McDonald said Rink Systems offered a $5,000 deduct if awarded both projects; staff split that discount across the two projects for evaluation. The motor control center for the ice plant carries a long lead time — 42–50 weeks — which staff warned could delay full operation even if other work is complete.
Staff also presented a cost‑benefit comparison for tying the Blue Line Arena to the new VFW ice plant versus rebuilding the Blue Line refrigeration system later. Upsizing the VFW plant and creating a connection was estimated at roughly $490,000 (which includes an upsize cost estimated in the staff packet); rebuilding the Blue Line plant when it reaches end of its usable service life was estimated at around $350,000. McDonald cautioned that the connection option carries additional unknowns — boring for the connection, demolition of the existing plant, and reconfiguring the plant header — that could increase the price.
Because of those unknowns and the tradeoffs against other sales‑tax‑funded scope, staff and the steering committee recommended rejecting the connection alternate now and using the Blue Line’s remaining service life, then rebuilding that system when necessary. Council members expressed differing views: some urged paying more now to avoid asking for more later, while others favored preserving current sales‑tax project scope and deferring the Blue Line rebuild.
No formal action was taken Tuesday on selecting alternates; staff said Rink Systems will hold alternate pricing and that decisions on dasherboard alternates will be revisited after bid package two pricing is available. The council moved on to other agenda items after the presentation.
