Mendota Heights Representative Pushes Spending for Safer Ice Arena Air

Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul) presented a bill last week to help Minnesota ice arenas pay for repairs and upgrades to their HVAC systems.

Bad air inside ice arenas has made the news a number of times in recent years. Last year, Linda Davis, a West St. Paul figure skater, testified to a health committee that she was poisoned by carbon monoxide in ice arena air and now undergoes daily oxygen treatment.

Minnesota passed rules in the '70s regulating sports facility air quality standards. This would help facilities pay for the upgrades necessary to meet those standards, said South St. Paul's Wakota Ice Arena manager, Jayson Dwelle, who testified in favor of Hansen's bill last week. 

HF684, which has been rewritten since last year's debut, now designates up to $1.5 million in bonding money to be distributed by the The Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission through the Mighty Ducks program for these upgrades.

The Mighty Ducks program was originally established in 1995 to expand the construction of ice sheets in the state for youth hockey. 

The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in a bonding bill. Hansen said he’s feeling more positive that a bonding bill will be completed this session, although he’s not sure how big it will be.

Sen. Jim Metzen

A list of all legislation authored by Sen. Jim Metzen this biennium is available on the Minnesota Legislature's website.

Rep. Rick Hansen

A list of all legislation authored by Rep. Rick Hansen this biennium is available on the Minnesota Legislature's website.