3M Arena at Mariucci renovations almost wrapped up
A $14-million dollar project to renovate and modernize the University of Minnesota’s Mariucci and Ridder Arenas continues.
KSTP Sports stopped by Mariucci Arena on Wednesday to see the progress being made.
***Click the video box above to watch video of the renovation project at Mariucci Arena***
Last Friday, the ten miles of piping that had been laid down was covered in cement.
After two weeks of a “wet cure” and two more weeks of a “dry cure”, the process to finish the surface will be completed along with installation of the new dasher boards and two rows of additional seating the newly-renovated smaller rink will accommodate.
The two new rows will include a small new premium seating area in the front row along the boards in the southwest corner of the rink. The new area will include wider seats and small tables that can be used for food and drink. The new section can be seen in the lower right corner of the rink as viewed in the timelapse video below, which was taken during Friday’s cement pour.
The impetus for the renovation was the need to replace the original refrigeration system in the 30-year-old arena. That required excavation of the old concrete slab, which offered an opportune time to reduce the size of Mariucci’s ice sheet from the wider “Olympic size” rink to the now far more universal standard size.
The next step in the remodeling project will replace the current “hanging lamp” lighting system originally installed as a lower-cost nod to the lighting in old Mariucci Arena across the street.
The new lights will be “bank lights” more common in modern arenas.
The entire Mariucci portion of the project will be completed in time for the 2023-24 season.
20-year-old Ridder Arena next door will see similar renovations next summer, sharing the same new refrigeration plant currently being installed.