Current Wichita Ice Center News

Key Points

·         At present, the WIC has ice on the Olympic rink only, via remaining capacity of an existing, partially failed cooling tower, one partially functioning dehumidification unit, and one temporary dehumidification rental unit

·         Ammonia refrigeration and dehumidification rooftop units are specialized equipment with long lead times and specialized design review

o   Lead time for the recently procured cooling tower is anticipated to be 20 weeks

o   At the time of failure lead time for dehumidification units from the original manufacturer was 52-weeks   

·         An expanded design effort was undertaken to allow alternate manufacturers, and potentially shorten the final completion date by 1-3 months

·         Additional design work was required to resolve multiple equipment clearance issues

·         Work on the cooling tower is anticipated to be completed in mid-July 2023

o   A second temporary dehumidification unit will be activated upon completion of the new cooling tower, restoring full capacity and use of both the Olympic and NHL ice rinks

·         Work on the permanent dehumidification units is estimated to be completed between October 2023 and January 2024, dependent on equipment lead time