2009 CAFR - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pictured on the front cover is the Roseville Ice Arena receiving its new GEO thermal refrigeration system. The Roseville Ice Arena is home to Roseville Area High School boys and girl's hockey teams, Roseville Area Youth Hockey Association, Roseville Figure Skating Club, and the Roseville Skating School. Geothermal systems are an alternative way to heat and cool buildings efficiently. Instead of burning fossil fuels like natural gases, which can be costly and harmful to the environment, geothermal systems us the natural energy of the earth to keep facilities warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Geothermal heat pumps use the earth's constant temperatures to heat and cool buildings. The heat generated during the ice making process is stored in the earth for later use within the facility. They transfer heat from the ground into buildings via water lines in the winter and reverse the process in the summer. The geothermal project received overwhelming support from citizens and interest people from around the metro area. Due to the unique nature of our project we offered tours to user groups, community groups, arena managers from around the metro and a number of individuals interested in our project. We also setup web cams in the arena and the ground loop drilling area to allow people to follow the installation process. The web cam video was eventually converted to time lapse video clips to document the project and provide a brief summary of the installation process for interested parties unable to view the project as it was installed. The project consisted of: • Replacement of Arena R -22 based refrigeration system and components. • Replacement of steel piping in the rink floor with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) piping. • Installation of a concrete rink floor. • Replacement of 8 roof top heating and cooling units with water to air heat pumps. • Replacement of cooling tower. • Installation of geothermal well filed and replacement of a parking lot. The replacement of a conventional ice arena refrigeration system, with a geothermal system is still a relatively new concept, but becoming more common in Minnesota rinks. What makes the Roseville Arena geothermal project unique is that it is the first phase of what is planned to be campus -wide heating and cooling system.