Wichita City Hall is offering its Ice Center facility for sale, according to the Wichita Eagle.
Since hockey player and referee John Ford circulated an online petition last August, there have been complaints about maintenance issues at the center, including blown-out lights, worn-out glass, rotted floors and unusable scoreboards. In his petition – which received more than 2,700 signatures – Ford called for an end to a contract with Genesis Health Clubs, manager of the center.
Under Genesis management, the center's two ice rinks are open to the public. The company also operates a primarily membership-based health club on the facility's second floor.
Now that the contract is nearing its end in January, the city has issued a request for titled "Sale OR Professional Management for Wichita Ice Center."
Ford serves on a user group advising the city on the request for proposals for the Ice Center as a representative of the Wichita Adult Hockey League, along with other representatives from the local youth hockey, referees, figure skating and speed skating associations, he said.
However, Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple was among those surprised that city staff was considering selling the Ice Center, located across from the new $75 million Riverfront Stadium baseball park on Maple, to a private company rather than finding new management.
"What are we doing? We're selling the ice arena?" Whipple said when contacted by a Wichita Eagle reporter.
The mayor said he would need a lot of questions answered before he could entertain selling the facility.
"It's a taxpayer-funded asset," Whipple said. "It's used by folks in this city who, if it's privatized, might not be able to afford to use it."
City Manager Robert Layton said the sale offer is more of an experiment than a real plan to sell the center.
"I don't know that we're going to get any offers in that regard and the user group would be part of the review committee to determine if there was an offer, whether or not the city would do that," Layton said. "I think what's going to happen is we're going to get proposals for the management of the facility."
While the RFP didn't go to the Park Board or the City Council for approval. Layton said he did discuss it with "all the electeds" before it went out. Council member Jeff Blubaugh confirmed that Layton informed him in a sale option in the RFP.
"Years ago I asked about this and the city manager told me we that we could not sell the facility because it was provided by a federal grant," he said. "I was surprised a little bit to hear that (the center was up for sale) because I was always told we couldn't sell it."
If the city does sell the Ice Center, its new owner would have to comply with a list of conditions, conditions, including keeping it open to the public and offering hourly rates, Layton added.
Ford said he isn't worried about Wichita selling the center.
"I was in shock when I first heard it, too," he said. After long talks with Layton and Wichita Parks Director Troy Houtman, he now thinks it is worth it to considering.
Even though Ford is a major critic of Genesis' management of the center, he said he would welcome them as an owner if the price is right.
"The RFP was something that we worked on refining to make sure that it was something that we wanted as a user group," Ford said. "Not to exclude the Stevens, but they would definitely have to have a very good proposal in buying this facility, just given that they have the last 10 or 11 years of managing the facility and it wasn't managed to the best of the community's satisfaction."
Rodney Steven, the president and owner of Genesis, could not be reached for comment about a potential purchase of the rinks, said the Wichita Eagle. Rodney and his brother Brandon also co-own the Wichita Thunder minor league hockey team, which practices at the center.
In addition to Genesis, one other unnamed potential bidder has toured the facility, according to Houtman. Dozens of companies have showed interest in managing the center, he said.
The Ice Center building is on 5.7 acres of land that has large advertising billboard and a parking lot with 532 spaces. When it was constructed in 1996 approximately it cost $8.3 million to build. Over the past decades, the city has put about $1 million worth of improvements into the facility, according to the to the proposal document.
Houtman said the city wants a plan for the facility's future before the Genesis contract runs out. A yet-to-be-chosen selection committee with members of the Park Board and user groups will interview interested parties in late October and November and the City Council vote is expected to follow in December.
"What we're looking for is all options," Houtman said.
