Ice, snow create a costly arena fix

Last winter was one most folks won't soon forget, with record snowfalls common and collapsed roofs and fallen treelines forever impacted. Even now, the city of Carlton is dealing with the aftermath.

The city-owned arena, Four Seasons Sports Complex, is the subject of a pending insurance claim, having suffered exterior damage from the ice and snow. The damage is obvious to passersby, as the arena side facing Highway 210 features a long crumpled strip of steel siding.

"The ice and snow buildup came off the roof and when it hit the ground it banged into the building and pushed the wall in," said city councilor Brent Bodie, the city's representative on the Carlton Amateur Hockey Association board, which operates the arena.

Because the hockey board is undergoing leadership change, the process to make the claim has been slowed. The city sought four bids for the damage, receiving only one, coming in at $198,000, city clerk Carol Conway told the city council at its meeting July 12.

"If we don't get moving on this, we'll be lucky to have that fixed by winter," Conway said. "It's already getting late."

Because the lone proposal came in above $175,000, the city will need to have an architect assess the damage. If the architect agrees with the current estimate, the fix will need to go through the competitive bidding process.

"That bid seems high," mayor Mike Soderstrom said, hoping a lower number would allow for a simpler repair process.

The damage was limited to siding, Bodie said, noting there was no structural damage to the steel beam structure.

"It's not going to affect operations at all," Bodie said. "The (current) contractor said they'd be able to do the work without interruptions to any events."

The work to repair the arena is the second major fix in recent months. Last fall, the city spent $168,000 to replace the ice making plant at the arena, Bodie said. The city took out a loan through Carlton County's Economic Development Authority to make that replacement a reality. The ice plant now conforms with new federal standards for refrigerant used in making ice.

The latest repair work is in the process of being submitted to insurance, with Conway marshaling the process in lieu of the hockey board.

The damage occurred last winter, while there were crowds of people in the arena, Bodie said, knocking over everything that was in contact with the wall. There were no injuries, only surprised faces.

"As of now, everything is sealed up in there," Bodie said. "There won't be further damage and whatever work is done won't affect the ice."

Ambulance issue

The quest to add full-time employees to the Carlton ambulance service will be the subject of another meeting at 10 a.m. Aug. 23 at the firehall in Carlton (100 Fourth St. N.).

In February, the city of Carlton, which holds the ambulance license, proposed adding a full-time manager and EMT to the all-volunteer service. Several of the communities served by the service have committed to help fund the additions, and those locales will be represented on the new committee overseeing the ambulance service.

Mayor Soderstrom will represent Carlton, along with city councilor David Sobczak. Other representatives at the table will be from Mahtowa, Sawyer, Silverbrook, Thomson, and Twin Lakes townships. Only municipalities agreeing to full financial participation will make up the board. So far, the city of Wrenshall has not yet chosen to participate, waiting until a budgeting meeting in August. Wrenshall Township is awaiting results from its application for winter storm reimbursement before it weighs a contribution to the ambulance service. Blackhoof and Atkinson townships have agreed to partial funding, and the Fond du Lac Band has not been in contact with Carlton, despite the ambulance service's coverage area including the Black Bear Casino Resort.

Without full participation from all parties, it may not be feasible to bring two full-time positions into the fold, Carlton officials said.

"I would assume we're going to move forward with an ambulance manager," fire chief Derek Wolf said at last week's city council meeting. "Are we going to move forward with the EMT, the second person full-time or not, because we will not have a 100-percent (contribution)?"

Soderstrom urged waiting until getting a recommendation from the new ambulance committee.

"It would be nice to get some feedback from other people at the table," he said.

The goal is to have the full-time position or positions in place by Jan. 1. The manager is especially needed, officials have argued, to help stabilize what is a 60-member volunteer service providing full coverage year-round.

The council agreed to move forward with a job description and contract for an ambulance service manager, so that those documents can be reviewed by the new committee in August.

The city of Carlton bills surrounding communities served by the ambulance service and has requested a total of $250,000 for 2024, but it's a voluntary contribution. So far, commitments for 2024 include roughly $208,000, including:

• City of Carlton: $54,023

• Atkinson Township: $5,228

• Blackhoof Township: $4,000

• Mahtowa Township: $5,001

• Silver Brook Township: $30,795

• Thomson Township: $19,782

• Twin Lakes Township: $76,395

• Sawyer Township: $10,909