The city commissions a report on the development of the Sports Center’s sports facilities. Building a multi-purpose hall is an alternative to renovating the current ice rink.
In the next few years, the Lahti ice rink will need at least a major overhaul and renovation. Jäähalli turns 50 in January 2023.
One of the users of the ice rink is the ice hockey league team Pelicans.
The hall, which attracts more than 5,300 spectators, underwent a hall renovation in 2010. Last spring, one of the grandstand blocks was converted into a standing grandstand.
– We have been talking about the need for renovation for more than two years, that is, since the majority ownership of the hall was transferred to us, i.e. to Spatium.
Spatium Toimitilat Oy is a real estate company owned by the city of Lahti.
New ice rink and swimming pool together?
Lahti commissions a report on the development of the entire Sports Center area. This report also examines the fate of the ice rink.
The investigation will start in the fall and will be completed by next spring.
– If we ended up with a multipurpose hall, it would also require funding from outside (the city).
According to Alho, the construction site should also be carefully considered in the multifunctional option. Pelicans CEO Lauri Pöyhönen reminds that the sharp rise in energy prices brings new dimensions into consideration.
– Now it’s worth thinking about the coming 50 years, that fixed costs can be minimized with technical solutions.
According to Pöyhönen, it is, for example, energy-efficient solutions and the recovery of waste heat.
It may also be possible to consider combining the ice rink and the swimming pool in the same multi-purpose space.
– At least some experts have suggested that bundling the ice rink and the swimming pool together could be a good solution in terms of energy economy, says city development director Olli Alho.
In Lahti’s current ice rink, most of the electricity is used for ice making and maintenance. The hall’s July electricity bill was more than 50 percent higher than last year’s July.
Politicians decide the marching order
In the next few years, Lahti faces many investments in sports facilities. In addition to the race park, the city needs a swimming hall with a 50-meter pool in the center.
– The task of politicians is to prioritize investments and make a schedule, reminds the director of urban development Olli Alho.
In Alho’s opinion, the ice rink issue must be resolved during the 2020s.
– It is important that we know the ice rink solution and its schedule as accurately as possible. Then we can plan maintenance and other repairs accordingly, says Miika Laakso, CEO of Lahten jäähalli Oy.