Eagle County commissioners give the nod to start work on new events center with ice surface
There's still a lot of money to raise before the county fairgrounds can host a seasonal ice surface
Eagle County/Courtesy photo
The Eagle County Board of Commissioners on Monday took the first informal step toward starting work on an events center at the Eagle County Fairgrounds.
County Manager Jeff Shroll reminded the commissioners there’s $5 million in this year’s budget for site work on a site at the fairgrounds — near the overflow parking for the Eagle River Center.
A 2022 master plan for the fairgrounds envisioned an events center for the property. That idea gained more urgency when the town of Vail went ahead with plans to shut down Dobson Ice Arena for nearly two years for a complete redo of that facility. That facility will close in March.
Since then, the valley’s hockey and skating enthusiasts have lobbied county officials for an indoor ice surface in Eagle. The problem, of course, is cost.
In 2022, the cost of similar-sized event centers in other communities ranged from $23 million to $31 million. More recent estimates for a center with an ice surface ranged as high as $24.5 million for a structure with a 40,000-square-foot flat floor. That would accommodate a full-sized hockey rink, as well as 400 to 600 seats and six locker rooms, as well as meeting rooms and offices.
Support Local Journalism
It’s not that much now
But that estimate came down when county facilities director Jesse Meryhew discovered something called a “sprung structure,” essentially a manufactured building.
In Monday’s meeting, Shroll said estimates for that building are currently between $17 and $18 million.
The county has $5 million budgeted, and Mountain Recreation has pledged $1 million for the project. Katie Santambrogio of BPS Philanthropic Advisors, who is helping raise money for the project, said another $1.4 million has been pledged by individual donors. That still leaves a substantial gap.
Santambrogio said fundraising efforts at the moment are low-key, but that she and team members are having “a lot of conversations” about the project before a full-on capital campaign launches.
“We’re trying to have very directed conversations,” Santambrogio said, adding that there have been “a lot of positive responses.”
But, she added, while there’s a lot of excitement, a lot of questions remain.
There are plenty of questions at the county’s end, too.
The commissioners on Monday gave informal approval for Meryhew to seek “location and extent” approval to begin site work for the project. Meryhew said that essentially will start the process of seeking zoning approval from the Eagle County Planning Commission to begin site work.
What if it doesn’t come together?
County reserves could make another $2 million available for deep utilities and similar work.
Shroll said if the funding doesn’t come through for the ice rink, the site work will still be valuable, and the events center can still be built, albeit on a slower schedule. But the commissioners and staffers think the project can be built.
Meryhew said the structure itself could be built in four to six weeks. It could take another four to six weeks to have the structure set up on the site. Having the facility ready for skating by Nov. 1 could be tight if all the money falls into place, but it could happen.
But the money remains the big question.
Commissioner Tom Boyd recommended that in addition to seeking funding from private donors, perhaps additional funding could be sought from Mountain Recreation, and perhaps the Vail Recreation District, which operates Dobson. Boyd added that while the town of Vail is already paying for the Dobson project, so is probably reluctant to contribute to a project in Eagle, he “wouldn’t rule out” a request for funding from that local government.
In agreeing to start work, at least on preparing the site, Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney said, “Let’s dream big.”
To learn more about contributing to the effort to create an events center with a seasonal ice surface at the Eagle County Fairgrounds, email Katie Santambrogio at katie@bpsfundraising.com.
