Inside the cavernous Washington Park Ice Arena, the business of ice-making demands 21st century technology paired with old-fashioned back-breaking, physical labor.
Parks department workers have been in the ice-making business more than they have cared to lately, as they continue to recover from the second flood there in the past 60 days. Ice skaters, who have faced various canceled events lately, could start to see their patience rewarded this Saturday morning, when the rink is set to reopen.
Patience also has been required of the workers, as they worked to create the needed 160 layers of ice, each separated by a process of shaving that ice, removing the shavings, washing the surface and then squeegeeing it to build a frozen surface of about 1 1/4 inches deep.
Josh Werdenhausen, the park resources superintendent, said it's not work for the impatient or easily frustrated.
The big sign will be gone from the door, advising the arena fans it was "Closed Until Further Notice Due to Flooding." The most recent flash flooding of Wears Creek took place Sept. 11, leaving 2 feet of mud, muck and coffee-colored water inside the facility. The first flash flood occurred overnight July 31 and left up to 4 feet of a similar watery mess inside the ice skating center - the only one of its kind between Kansas City and St. Louis.
Werdenhausen, Parks department staffers and dozens of volunteers formed four-man teams to clean the arena over the past three weeks. Generating those 160 layers of ice was expedited in the arena restoration after the second flash food because the commercial cleaning firm Serv-Pro brought special equipment to Jefferson City to assist. Attempts by the Jefferson City Fire Department to remove the water, mud and muck after the first flood were thwarted by equipment deficiencies, not the good intentions of the firemen, Werdenhausen said.
Much of the work in the layering of the surface is done with the Olympia brand ice resurfacer. The machine, built in 1967, is a competitor of the better-known Zamboni ice resurfacer. A product of the Resurfice Corp., the Olympia brand is used in five of the 30 National Hockey League arenas around North America.
To reach the optimum quality, Werdenhausen said, the arena's surface must be dropped from the 70-degree room temperature to the 40-45 degrees of chilled water applied to the rink surface and then to the 14-degree temperature that solidifies the surface.
The challenge workers faced was compounded by the difficulty of achieving a uniform depth of the ice as it freezes on the concrete floor. The depth can vary by three-eighths of an inch, he said.
Kerri Gates, ice arena manager, expects a full house Saturday and Sunday. The two flash floods caused the cancellation of events ranging from birthday parties and University of Missouri hockey team practices to synchronized ice dancing and free-style figure skating, she said.
A full up-to-date schedule of specific skating programs will be available at jeffersoncitymo.gov/parks.
Phil Stiles, the recreation facilities and special services division director, said he is excited to strap on some blades and try the new surface, adding he's pretty sure the rink will be packed this weekend.