(File photo/northeastNOW)

By Cam Lee

Ice mesh at EPA?

Humboldt Council to vote on white ice mesh installation at EPA

Apr 22, 2025 | 10:32 AM

The City of Humboldt could have a new product to use ahead of the next hockey season at the Elgar Petersen Arena (EPA).

At a meeting last week, the executive committee recommended the purchase of a reusable white ice mesh to replace the traditional painted white ice. The cost for the mesh is expected to be $42,000 plus freight and taxes. Council will decide on whether to purchase the ice mesh at its next meeting on April 28.

Director of Community and Leisure Services Michael Ulriksen told northeastNOW there are several benefits to the white ice mesh product.

“Many rinks, worldwide, are moving away from painted white ice partially for environmental reasons,” explained Ulriksen. “The white ice paint is applied each fall and then each spring when the ice is removed the paint either ends up in the sewer drains or the ice hauled out of the arena and dumped in ditches to melt and drain away.”

Ulriksen said both of those options are bad for the environment and the mesh product would be air dried and rolled up for use the next season.

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According to Ulriksen, the mesh would also significantly reduce the number of staffing hours required to install and remove the ice. The painted ice requires a base layer of ice that’s level before the paint is applied, and the paint is then sealed in with several layers of ice before the lines and logos are installed. There then needs to be a significant layer of ice between the ice paint and ice surface.

“With the white ice mesh, we will require much less initial ice base, meaning the mesh will sit closer to the concrete surface,” said Ulriksen. “The lines and logos will go on almost immediately after the mesh is frozen down.” He said the average ice thickness would be reduced which would create a faster ice surface without any risk of cutting into the logos.

Ulriksen said with the mesh, the ice will only contain clean water, which will melt and run into the sewer system. The mesh and logos would be clean and once dried can be stored for the next season.

“This significantly reduces our staffing time, as cleaning the logos and then cleaning up the paint residue from the boards and the ice was extremely labor intensive. With the white ice mesh, the process will be much quicker and require far fewer staffing hours.”

Another benefit, according to Ulriksen, is a reduction in utility costs associated with the refrigeration system. He said the thinner ice, as mentioned above, would require less power to keep frozen. The current layer of painted white ice also causes an insulated layer that requires the refrigeration system to work harder to draw heat through, said Ulriksen.

“For both of these reasons we expect to see noticeable utility savings each season.”

Ulriksen said the white ice mesh is used in hundreds of curling rinks and arenas worldwide, and the life expectancy is about 20 years. The expectation is that the city would receive a quick return on the initial investment into the ice mesh and ongoing operational savings for years to come.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com