Carson Ice rink ends up in the red

The Arlington Square Ice Rink that operated last winter in downtown Carson City lost $127,869, despite estimates from the city that the operation would break even.

"It's never good to lose money," said Mayor Bob Crowell. "But it drove a lot of people into downtown when we needed it during the winter months. I think it was a good thing for our community."

Total revenues from the ice rink were $259,335, according to figures released by the city. That figure includes a $70,000 contribution from the Carson Nugget, and an $82,359 expense for setting up power for the rink that was paid by the Nugget.

The city had projected revenues of $305,000.

Total expenses were $387,204, which was 21 percent more than the $304,200 the city had budgeted.

"It was hoped to be a cost-neutral," said Tammy Wester-gard, deputy manager for the Office of Business Development. "The projection for the number of skaters was higher than what we actually had."

The initial power setup also ended up costing more than they had planned, she said.

Westergard said they can take what they learned this year and do better if the ice rink comes back.

"It was a really great experience, and a learning experience," Westergard said. "We learned what worked and what didn't.

"I'm positive that it made a wonderful contribution to our community."

Supervisor Robin Williamson also cited the infrastructure costs, as well as falling short on signing up business sponsors.

Weather also proved to be a factor.

"We learned you can't skate in the rain," Williamson said. "And the wind almost blew everything away, too."

While Williamson said the ice rink was a success, she doesn't know if it will be back again this winter.

"We'll have to see what the Legislature does to see if we have any money," she said.

Crowell said that in order to bring it back again, they would need to squeeze down the costs or maybe find a location with better parking and access.

Supervisor Pete Livermore said he was disappointed with the revenue shortfall, and that maybe the city should have been more conservative in its spending.

"Was it a worthwhile effort? Probably so, because the community got something out of it," Livermore said. "Was it the best business plan? Probably not."

Livermore, vice chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, questioned why it took so long to get the numbers together, and said they should have known after the first 30 days of the rink's operation if revenues were meeting expectations, allowing them to make adjustments to lessen the shortfall.

Next year, Livermore said, they should either put the project out to bid for a private firm to operate, or let the Recreation Department operate it.