LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO ) — Summer is a busy time at the American Heartland Ice Arena in Lincolnwood, and with an extreme heat wave expected to hit Chicagoland this week, arena general manager Russ Naumenko is taking precautions.
“The night before, I’ll bring temperatures down,” he said. “I’ll pre-cool the building.”
That’s to make sure his two sheets of ice stay frozen — but not brittle — in the heat and humidity.
“If you’re not ready for it, once it hits, you can’t come back that day,” said Naumenko. “It’s really hard if you get behind, temperature-wise, on a really hot day.”
If that were to happen, he has six hours to catch up overnight. That’s the only time the 100,000-square-foot building is closed during the summer season, when kids are out of school.
Although this week’s heat is forecasted to stretch into the 90s, Naumenko said his team is working to counteract the weather all year round.
“Whether it be heat in the lobbies or heat in the rink, it’s also matched with what temperature your ice is,” he said.
In the summer, Naumenko said he’ll keep the ice anywhere from 15 – 19 degrees, depending on the weather.
“If it was a 60-degree summer day, I would have the ice temperatures much warmer than normal, because if I kept it at the same temperature that I would keep it as [on] a 90-degree day, the ice would be too cold,” he said. “You don’t want the ice to be too cold. It turns brittle, and it chips.”
A guide on ways to stay cool in Chicago can be found here.
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