Rink's Troubles Push Owner to Look for Buyer: High Cost of City-Ordered Replacement of Refrigeration System Cited By East Bay Iceland
Posted on: Friday, 3 March 2006, 09:00 CST
By Martin Snapp, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
Mar. 3--Berkeley might lose its only ice skating rink. Iceland, the 66-year-old arena in South Berkeley where generations of local children learned to skate, is on the block.
General Manager Jay Wescott says the cost of replacing Iceland's refrigeration system -- as it has been ordered to do by Berkeley Fire Marshall Gil Dong -- would be prohibitive.
Dong issued his order last spring, after an investigation into an accidental gas leak from Iceland's refrigeration discovered the system contained more than 4,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia.
Anhydrous ammonia is an acrid gas that is extremely toxic in higher concentrations.
Dong gave Iceland until August to remove the ammonia. But he later extended that deadline several times to allow Iceland to install a temporary refrigeration system while it replaces the permanent one.
The temporary system was installed in October. The deadline to replace the permanent one is April 15.
Wescott said the company that owns Iceland, East Bay Iceland Inc., experienced sticker shock when the bill for the temporary system came in -- $100,000, far more than expected. And estimates indicated the permanent system would cost more than three times that amount.
Under the circumstances, East Bay Iceland announced Monday that it has decided to sell the rink instead.
"We want to sell it to someone who will maintain it as a skating facility," Wescott said. "But if that doesn't happen, we'll have to look seriously at selling to someone who would use it for some other purpose. But it will be a sad day if that happens."
He said he will ask the city for one more extension, until April 2007, to give him time to find a buyer.
"I have to believe it will be a more attractive prospect if it's a working skating arena, rather than a deserted building," he said.
Dong said Iceland will have to pursue a permit extension through the city's planning department. Planning Director Mark Rhodes could not be reached for comment.
"Hopefully, we will still have a skating rink that's safe to operate," Dong said.
Cisco DeVries, chief of staff to Mayor Tom Bates, said the mayor's office plans to meet with Iceland representatives next week to discuss the situation.
Reach Martin Snapp at 510-262-2768 or e-mail msnapp@cctimes.com.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
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Source: Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
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