Taos council approves Simcoe contract to rebuild town ice rink; vendor says Oct. 1 target not guaranteed

Taos Town Council voted to approve a Simcoe Refrigeration proposal to demolish and rebuild the town ice rink, moving the town into the construction phase of a long‑delayed project that staff and local hockey stakeholders called essential for youth sports and winter tourism.

The vote follows presentation of a detailed scope that includes removal of the existing slab and underground components, installation of a new insulated subgrade and glycol piping system, upgraded mechanical and electrical service, modern refrigeration and automated controls, new NHL‑size dasher boards and safety glass, and staff training for commissioning.

Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Manuel Sandoval outlined the project scope and said the work will be completed by local subcontractors under Simcoe supervision to modernize reliability, energy efficiency and ice quality. "This project represents a complete replacement of the rink's critical ice‑making infrastructure to address ongoing reliability, safety and life‑cycle concerns," Sandoval said.

Simcoe’s representative, Luis Escobar, told the council several schedule milestones must be met before the town can expect ice and that an Oct. 1 start date cannot be guaranteed. Escobar said his firm expects to deliver 30% design by the end of January, firm equipment pricing once the design reaches 30–50%, the packaged system in mid‑July, then roughly 3–4 weeks of demolition and 4–6 weeks of new construction; the poured slab requires approximately 28 days to cure before commissioning. "As of today, I cannot guarantee that ice can be in place by October 1 given the construction, curing and commissioning steps," Escobar said.

Town Manager Martinez told the council the community has set aside just over $6,100,000 in total funding for returning ice to Taos, including insurance recovery for roof repairs. Parks and Recreation Director Melissa Vigil and citizens who spoke during public comment urged speed and thoroughness. "We want those success stories to continue," Vigil said, asking council to approve the Simcoe quote.

The agenda packet listed the procurement item as a $2,739,000 quote (inclusive of NMGRT) under Sourcewell contract procurement language; when the motion was made on the floor the figure recited by the mover was $2,000,739 (inclusive of NMGRT). Council members and staff acknowledged that discrepancy during discussion and staff said any additional, unanticipated costs over $60,000 would return to council for approval. Town Manager Martinez said the town maintains a contingency budget for project exclusions and potential adjustments. Procurement and contract documents will be clarified in the preconstruction meeting.

Questions from the public and one attendee (Steven Saul) focused on the proposal’s exclusions and owner obligations, and whether subcontractor price escalation clauses would shift costs to the town. Manager Martinez said the project will carry a contingency and that changes exceeding statutory thresholds will require council approval.

Councilors moved and seconded the item and recorded affirmative roll‑call votes; no member voted against the motion. With the approval, staff and Simcoe plan preconstruction meetings, a site kickoff and a public ribbon‑cutting once schedule and delivery milestones are firm.

The project will proceed through standard permitting and inspection steps with regular status updates to the council and the town manager's office. The council and staff emphasized the goal of returning ice to Taos while ensuring the rebuild meets code and long‑term performance needs.