Possible Choices For Ice Arena Presented To Bemidji City Council

It was a conversation that was put on ice over a year ago when the Bemidji City Council was faced with the question about whether or not to renovate or replace its Neilson Reise hockey arena. The long-awaited ice study was presented to council members and an audience made up of community stakeholders Monday night.

The study recapped the demographics of the area and presented three possibilities to suit the needs of the city. The Sanford Center has been recognized as a possible site to add a second sheet of ice. Renderings shown at the meeting place the $10.4 million rink on the east side of the facility. The proposal is said to give the Sanford Center a more competitive edge.

Other options are to invest an estimated $5.8 million in renovating the current Neilson Reise arena or to build a new $8.6 million standalone ice rink facility like Neilson Reise. No decisions were made tonight.