Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 27/02) - Some Yellowknife city councillors are contemplating a Christmas present for their neighbours down the road: a free ice plant for Rae.

"It's a good neighbourly thing to do. They spend a tremendous amount of dollars in our city and their arena doesn't have an ice plant. So it only makes sense," said Coun. Dave Ramsay.

The city has an extra ice plant now that the Gerry Murphy arena has been permanently closed. Installed in 1967, the ice plant still works. The city put ice in the Gerry Murphy earlier this year in anticipation of opening the old arena. Those plans were dashed by the NWT fire marshal.

The recreation co-ordinator in Rae is enthusiastic about the idea of acquiring the ice plant.

"That would be a really awesome gesture by the city," said Conan Donahue.

"Right now we've got natural ice in our rink and we don't get our ice in until usually the first week of December. An ice plant would allow us to get our skating programs and our minor hockey programs going in September and October. ... It would be really good for the kids to have."

The cost of installing a new ice plant in Rae could run as high as $750,000, said Donahue. But the demand is there: in winter months, the Rae arena is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and constantly used.

Yet the money isn't available for a new ice plant, and Donahue said right now it's either the Gerry Murphy device or no artificial ice.

The Gerry Murphy ice plant isn't a perfect machine, however.

"It's a 1967 plant, it's ancient in terms of technology," said city community services director Grant White.

In fact, costs to repair the machine -- including the price of a new compressor -- could run into the hundreds of thousands.

But Donahue isn't concerned.

"If they're well-maintained they can last quite a while," he said.

The idea has support from a number of members of Yellowknife council.

"I don't know how much salvage value we'd get for it anyway," said Coun. Alan Woytuik. "And if they can make use of it, I think it's a goodwill gesture that makes sense."