By Ali Longwell | December 11, 2023
The town of Vail is forging ahead with its plans to redevelop Dobson Ice Arena.
At its Tuesday, Dec. 5 meeting, the Vail Town Council reviewed the project’s schematic design before sending it out to be priced by several general contractors.
The Town Council reviewed the concept and programming for the upgrade in August, and the schematic design shows these concepts beginning to take shape.
Dobson Ice Arena was built in 1979 and — outside of a few minor remodels over the years — has remained largely unchanged. The goal of the remodel is to bring some of the systems up-to-date, better meet the community’s current needs for the facility and ensure its longevity for the next 50 years.
“We’re as excited as you are. I think this is something that’s been a long time coming for Vail,” said Mike Ortiz, the executive director of the Vail Recreation District, which operates Dobson. “You’re on the cusp of having something that will not only last for 40 years but raise the bar again, like Vail’s always done.”
Funding for the numerous upgrades is expected to come from a few sources. First (and most significantly), is an anticipated $45 million from the Vail Reinvestment Authority Tax District — funds that must be spent by June 30, 2030. Additional funds are expected to come from the Vail Recreation District, the town’s general fund reserves and real estate transfer tax fund.
In August, the Vail Town Council increased the budget from around $53 million to just over $55 million in an attempt to address all the needs with this remodel.
“Let’s design the building that we need and then we’re going to figure it out,” said Travis Coggin at the July 18 Town Council meeting. “Whatever that number is, it’s important enough to us and if it’s designed right and it’s exciting enough, the money is there.”
Even with the slight increase, staying within this $55 million budget could prove challenging. The town has brought on an owner’s representative — Chris Knight from Cumming Management — on the project to try and hold to this budget as best it can.
With the current schematics, Greg Hall, the town’s public work director, relayed that while Knight feels “we’re really tight” on budget and “not as comfortable as we were on Aug. 1,” he can “still justify where he sees this project and the numbers we’re at.”
However, even these numbers are from estimators, Hall acknowledged. Thus, the town’s next step will be handing the schematic designs over to several general contractors to price out the project in its entirety.
“Contractors know the market, they know how it all goes together,” Hall said. “That’s why, at this early stage … we’re going out to the market to test where the estimate says we are and where the market says we are.”
The town anticipates having pricing back in around six to seven weeks, after which time the town will have more information to push the design forward and stay on budget while it goes through the entitlement process.
Staying within budget may mean compromising some of the design and program elements, but the town also intends to find sponsorship and donation opportunities where possible.
“We do have a funding gap, but our goal is to go out and bring everything back together so the funding comes together with the project,” Hall said.
What’s in the design?
At a high level, the redesign of Dobson is meant to honor “the character and spirit of what Dobson is today, but totally modernize it,” said Patrick Gleason, with the project’s design firm Populous. Much of this is being done without expanding the facility’s current footprint too much.
One of the most significant costs of the project will be a new roof on the structure. The current estimates for the roof are set at around $10.7 million.
Currently, the roof is “somewhat reaching the end of its useful life,” said Gleason.
In addition to its age, the current roof requires significant maintenance (primarily shoveling and snow clearing in the winter) and also does not meet current standards, code and rigging needs for event promoters, Gleason added.
One of the challenges in the design is deciding what the new roof will look like internally. The design team has come up with two options: a steel roof and a hybrid between heavy timber and steel, which the design team feels “meets the spirit and intent of replicating Dobson today,” Gleason said.
Both options are designed to fit within the rest of the schematics at this point and not change the outside design of the roof. The roof is expected to be five feet taller than it is currently in some places, Gleason said.
The cost difference between these two options is somewhat of an unknown. So, as the project goes to general contractors, they have been asked to price both options, so that the town can make that decision in the future.
Following the roof, the next most expensive cost is expected to be new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. These are estimated to cost just over $9 million as the current systems reach the end of their life. The current designs also include replacing the ice system and floor for the rink, which is estimated at just over $5 million. Gleason said the current plans include “bringing (the ice) up to effectively pro standards.”
This cost is followed by a new south entrance and restrooms — estimated at around $4.9 million — and a new west entry — estimated at $915,000. These are designed to not only modernize the building and create new functional space but also with the west entry, to create more connectivity with Lionshead and the parking structure.
Next, are new locker rooms and officials rooms — estimated at around $4.1 million — which, under the current designs will expand from four to six locker rooms and provide two locker rooms for officials. This, Gleason said, was to allow for gender equity and better serve the hockey community.
There’s an estimated $2.2 million set aside in the budget for site work, which Gleason said will “enhance the surrounding site to some degree” without “going overboard.”
The design has been completed to create new ticketing, seating and viewing opportunities. This includes an outdoor terrace on the south side, drink rail seating on the ice, a mezzanine deck on the south side overlooking the ice with fixed seats, lounge space and drink rail seating, as well as additional seating on the south side of the facility.
As currently designed, the plans will increase the number of fixed seats from 729 to 1,106, increase the number of wheelchair and companion seats from between six to 16 to 20, and decrease the number of standing-room-only spots from around 562 to 394. For hockey games, this will jump the total seating from around 1,297 to 1,500 and concert seating from around 2,800 to 2,900.
The designs also include additional “flex use” spaces, whose use will be determined by need and the recreation district in the future, as well as new restrooms, a new second-floor lounge and concession space and a new skate rental shop.
“Right now, it’s a pretty utilitarian building, and we’re going to provide some things that allow for different places to sell, different experiences for people,” Gleason said.
Temporary Ice
Part of the Dobson budget includes a $1 million contribution from the town for a temporary sheet of ice as the remodel is underway. The town is anticipating that the construction will start in February 2025 and run through March 2027.
Vail Recreation District is currently evaluating its options to continue some of its operations during these two years. Ortiz said that its best option is working with the county to utilize the indoor arena near the fairgrounds in Eagle. He added that the district has had conversations with the county to this end and is looking for partnership, not only with the county but with other communities in the valley as well.
The Vail Recreation District intends to subsidize the operations of the temporary facility, but this is not without concerns, according to Ortiz.
“We’re going to need to go somewhere that can house this for two years, but we’re going to need some help,” Ortiz said. “Frankly, I don’t think $1 million is going to do it, but we’re going to have to look at that … You’re making a commitment to the ice, we’re making a commitment to the subsidy — so we need more partners.”