Vail to get its first look at $52 million plan to revamp Dobson Ice Arena
The 44-year old facility is in need of major upgrades
Ben Roof/Courtesy photo
Since 1979, the Dobson Ice Arena has served the Vail community not only as an ice arena but also as a gathering and events space. However, aside from an addition and a few small remodels, it has remained largely unchanged. As such, in order to survive another 50 or so years, it is in need of serious renovation.
In February, the town of Vail selected Populous Design to take a look at the aging facility and provide options for upgrading and bringing it up to code. On Tuesday, July 18, at its regular meeting, the Vail Town Council and the Vail Recreation District will see the result of this planning phase: a $52 million conceptual design that addresses many of the facility’s current challenges.
Town Council will be asked to evaluate the recommended project, which “is more about program and elements versus design details of how everything fits together,” according to a memo in the meeting packet.
What the concept includes
The current arena is facing a number of issues. In the initial design phase, the contractor was asked to address the lack of accessibility throughout; inadequate locker room space (which has resulted in diversity and equity issues); mechanical, electrical and ice systems that are at or near the end of their useful lives; a failing roof; dated spectator amenities; inadequate egress; and an insufficient number of bathroom toilet fixtures according to code.
However, after providing two scenarios that addressed these challenges, the significant estimated price tags led the design team to go back to the drawing board.
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As such, the plan being recommended to the council on Tuesday addresses many, but not all of the primary issues identified.
In the past, there was some back and forth on whether or not the facility required a new roof — which carries one of the largest costs of the project. The proposed project includes a roof that would meet “the current design loads, rigging requirements, and designed in an economical way yet provides for improved sight lines and limited increase in overall heights.”
Additionally, the proposal includes:
- Six equal-sized locker rooms and two smaller locker rooms for officials
- Additional seating for current events
- Additional bathroom fixtures to meet the required number for events at the facility’s capacity (met with a two-story addition and expansion on the facility’s south side)
- New mechanical, electrical, lighting and plumbing systems
- Replacement of the entire ice system
- Upgrades for AV and sounds
- Site improvements
There are a few items that fall outside of the defined budget right now for which the town is still hoping to find money. This includes a new west entry, a new scoreboard, an interior wood look on the ceiling similar to Dobson’s current ceiling, and higher-level sustainability features.
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“The team is also committed to determine if the west entry can fit within the budget and continue exploring the sustainability opportunities through the many available funding sources,” reads the Town Council memo.
A significant price tag
While the two early conceptual designs were projected to cost $70 million and over $90 million, the project scope being recommended to the council on Tuesday has a price tag of $52 million. These funds are expected to come from a few sources.
In the 2019 Vail Civic Area Plan, the town identified upgrading Dobson as the plan’s first major step of implementation. And as this area is a part of the Vail Reinvestment Authority tax district, the project has been identified as a priority for the district’s remaining funds. These funds are estimated around $45 million and must be spent by June 30, 2030.
“Those funds were intended not only for a Dobson project but hopefully to be used on other Civic Area projects as well,” reads the Town Council memo. “The significant issues which needed to be addressed at Dobson along with the magnitude of the price created a major challenge for the design team, our recently hired owner’s representative Cumming Management, and staff for both organizations (TOV and VRD).”
According to the current Dobson budget proposal, the remodel as currently conceptualized would use all $45 million of these funds. Remaining funds to get to the $52 million are expected to come from the Vail Recreation District as well as from the town’s general fund reserves and its 5-Year Real Estate Transfer Tax budget.
The budget, according to the packet will include $39 million in hard construction costs, $12 million in costs for design, owner’s representation and other fees, as well as $1 million for a temporary ice sheet.
On Tuesday, Town Council and the Vail Recreation District will be asked to provide feedback and share concerns about the Dobson remodel program as presented, including the current budget, to further refine the concept and programs.
From there, the town will look to develop this into a schematic design with more design details including specifying equipment as well as digging into the structural and architectural design. Ultimately, the town will use these designs to select a construction manager or general contractor firm, which will verify the cost and schedule for the project.
Vail Town Council and the Vail Recreation District are scheduled to discuss the proposed Dobson Ice Arena project at a joint meeting on Tuesday, July 18, which is expected to start at 12:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at Vail Town Hall (75 South Frontage Road) and will also be live-streamed on Zoom, the town’s Facebook page as well as on High Five Media’s Live at Five. To view the meeting agenda, register for the Zoom or learn how to provide public feedback, visit VailGov.com/Town-Council.
