An effectively run private business will bring in a lot more money to the local economy than anything the government can do. It will be a better maintained, more utilized facility, and it will cost the taxpayers zero dollars. You can "whine" about that now - but why would you want to?

man i can't believe how much whining is going on over this topic!!!! the hockey club just held the state mite a tournament last week and brought in $200,000 in revenue to the local businesses. we get a better facitlity built and are able to hold more tournaments hmmmm...oh yeah more money to be spent in janesville. wow what a concept.

PanamaRed: the key words you used are "effective management". This implies privatization of the ice rink.
I do support parks, as they are open space for all. I also support the bike trails, as they are a part of the transportation infrastructure. The swimming pool, like the ice rink, should probably be privatized. But the ice rink is such an irresistable white elephant to discuss....a bottomless pit of government waste and ineptitude.
But here's my question - why did (first line of the article) "Richard Wanless (say) somebody should kiss the old refrigeration system..."???
Isn't that some sort of sexual harassment????

Without a doubt, Janesville needs an indoor ice skating center. It shouldn't be a question of if, but how, we make it work. Why not incorporate a Curling venue with the facility. They also need ice and could use the same refrigeration system. I'm sure Hockey and Figure Skating organizations will contribute just as they have for the past 30+ years. This isn't about today, this is about our quality of life for the next 30+ years. Golf courses, bike paths, parks, pools, tennis and basketball courts, ball diamonds all contribute to make Janesville a great place to live and raise a family. The Ice Skating Center, with effective management, CAN generate revenue. While I believe the city could have provided better management over the years, I also believe they are now on the right track. Whether or not Janesville brings in a Junior "A" hockey team, this city needs an Ice Skating Center. On a side note, localboysince1968 seems a little too interested in "cracks", so lets just make sure we keep him away from the HVAC installer.

Why do we need a ice rink for the few that use it? We just built a multi-million gym/basketball court for just a few. This is another waste of tax dollars that Janesville residents will have to pay. But what do you expect from a bunch of liberal democrates...

Again I say: "It's not the purpose of government to build, own or maintain ice arenas. This is what you get".

Here is another city with a similar situation: http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/2...

Here is an excellent web-site How Ice Rinks Work: http://www.howstuffworks.com/ice-rink.ht...

I have to wonder at these "estimates". With sales everywhere, corporations going out of business because no one can afford to purchase, why are these estimates rising? Everything else is falling price-wise. Take the computer estimate for the schools, for instance.....equipment price is falling rapidly and in some instances many companies are liquidating, so why is the price for Janesville's school system computers and servers so expensive and not falling in line with equipment prices? If it is because of labor, then labor will have to rethink its prices just as consumers (including the City of Janesville) have to rethink their expenditures.

I cannot understand this clamoring for recreational facilities being rebuilt or built at this time, either. Why wasn't it done several years ago when the economy was so much better? What's the hurry now? I think it would be less expensive to repurpose the ice rink and build new when the economy recovers. I have many questions regarding what the City decides is important and what it decides to squash. Seems to me that the City should be more concerned about the pocketbooks of their existing residents and seeking solutions for decent paying employment for those who have lost their jobs

rooster: I totally agree with you. Our city government better start focusing on bringing good paying jobs to Janesville instead of focusing on wasteful spending, before our city becomes a ghost town because of job loses and too much taxation.

This is good for Angus Young Associates since they will get a big chunk of the commission,who are already the architects working with the rink for the proposed new designing. Keeping it local can only do good for the community. The locals should dig into their pockets for the companies that are already hurting to help create more jobs.

The public can't use the rink because it's booked all the time by hockey clubs and leagues. Let them pay for it to be repaired not the tax payers. It's like when the Packers wanted a new stadium. Well they wanted the entire state to pay for it, but you can't get a ticket to the games unless you hold season tickets and you can't get those. Let the people that use these things pay for them. Some folks have gotten the idea they are owed facilities for there entertainment. The public should not have to pay for something they can't even use... If mom and dad want the kids in hockey and the leagues want to use it let them pay for it...

First its $200,000 now its $1 million and counting? THIS IS CALLED A MONEY PIT

I wonder what the plan was if the administration already knew this? Have they set aside funds to replace the ice making equipment? If not, we (taxpayers) just got duped in to a deal regarding a hockey team. It is different if you don't have ice for "open skating" night, and a entirely different deal for a semi-pro hockey game. The city administration needs to comment on this, not some HVAC installer with the crack of his rear end peeking out his tight misfitting uniform.

The new refrigeration systems are a lot more efficient as well. The reporter should have at least done some research on the systems and mentioned that.

I heard that the ice arena needed $200K for repairs and remodeling. With $3M for computers for the schools and now $1.5M for the ice arena, Janesville is going to tax itself back to the stone age. Local governments cannot print money, folks, only the federal government can do that.

Let's rename the Janesville Ice Skating Center to the Southern Wisconsin Regional Skating Center and Hockey Stadium and see if we can trick the county into paying for the bill.

we are being set up just like the school board sets us up. if you are sick and tired of all the stuff that is happening in janesville, stuff that will potentially change the bottom line of our wallets, more taxes, please send an e-mail to: gazetterooster@gmail.com. lets get a grass roots group organized and defend ourselves against the out of control spending of the school board and city council. it seems they never ask themselves this question; what is it that we WANT and what do we actually NEED. janesville spending is loaded with its own earmarks and we need to stop them.

Is it just me or do you get the feeling they have known about this since way before coming up with the idea of getting a hockey team here? Richard Wanless told a consultant five years ago that it wouldn't last another five. Doesn't it seem like the whole hockey thing is moot now? It had better be! What would happen if the thing broke down during the start of the season? Any contractual liabilities here regarding providing upkeep? And another thing. If this system is going on thirty-five years old, then how much money are we throwing away due to its inefficiency? According to appliance repairmen "Any household refrigerator over ten years old is wasting money as a new one will pay for itself in five years with energy savings alone." The bone-headed ideas in this city provide me with all the stress my doctor told me to avoid.

Just like a car I own, it will cost too much to fix so I'm gonna "run it till it breaks". The same goes for the rink, run it till it breaks and throw it away. That thing has been a money pit since '75.

The city should tell the rink users the same thing they told the skateboarders, if you want it, you will have to raise your own funds. If we don't need a skateboard park, then we don't need a ice skate park.
The city needs to be fair to everyone. If done right, the city could make money from a skateboard park.
Plus, how many people in Janesville will go to a hockey game anyway really? No one I know.

Thanks for the negativity and cynasism, sysco. We really need more of that in the comments.

Most of the cost will be labor - removing concrete slab with freon charged pipes will require HVAC specialists and construction workers from Janesville... not China.