Shakopee, Minnesota - Just in time to celebrate the fourteenth anniversary of the opening of Dakotah! Sport and Fitness on November 14, 1994, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) is proud to announce the unveiling of the new Dakotah! Ice Center. The new facility contains energy efficient, environmentally friendly and state-of-the-art components.

The 72,000 square feet Dakotah! Ice Center contains two sheets of ice, with the second recently completed. This second sheet of ice opened for skaters October 15, 2008, with construction continuing on the rest of the facility through mid-November. (The first sheet opened with the facility in 1994.) The first game in the new facility will be played November 15, 2008, when the Prior Lake Girls Hockey Team hosts the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars. Dakotah! Ice Arena is home ice for the Prior Lake High School Girls’ and Boys’ Hockey Teams as well as the Prior Lake Hockey Association.

“We are delighted to open this fine facility which will be used by skaters in our local area” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks.

State-of-the-Art Amenities
Both ice sheets are NHL-sized, with the new sheet having a 900-seat capacity, with additional seating available for a capacity of up to 1,200. The original sheet accommodates a crowd of about 500. The Dakotah! Ice Center features a seamless glass dasher board, also called support-less radius glass, which curves along with the boards. The SMSC project was the first in the world to order this system and the second to have it installed. There are only three in existence. The first installed was the Urban Plains Center in Fargo, North Dakota, and the third will be Hartmeyer Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.

The new building also houses two mezzanine levels, an elevator, seven locker rooms, and a new concession area on the lower level accessible for both sheets. On the upper level there are two conference rooms and concourse viewing and seating area for spectators who want to watch from the comfort of tables and chairs through large windows while staying warm.

Some areas of the existing facility were relocated in order to serve both arenas, such as offices and skate sharpening. Storage rooms are shared between the two arenas. Two of the seven new locker rooms in the new space now provide permanent space for the Prior Lake High School Girls’ and Boys’ Hockey Teams. In the first ice arena the six locker rooms were remodeled to create four larger locker rooms.

“Green” Components
The Dakotah! Ice Center, which is located next door to one of the premier gaming destinations in the United States, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, contains several innovative environmentally friendly features:
-A compressor system and heat exchanger take the waste heat from the ice-making equipment and redirects it through the bleachers to heat the concrete in the floor of the seating area. This feature can also be turned on and off to save heat.
-A 32,648 square foot green roof treats storm water and improves energy efficiency by lowering the temperature inside the building to reduce energy usage.
-Eight skylights coupled with daylight harvesting sensors reduce energy consumption further by providing natural daylight to the arena. When there’s enough natural light coming in, these special sensors shut the lights off, thus saving energy.
-Sixteen solar panels in two banks of eight each, which sit atop the roof, heat water for use in the ice resurfacing equipment.
-14,000 square feet of VAST recycled composite pavers (made of recycled tires and plastic containers) are installed along the parking lot center aisle and at the entrance of the facility. By using these pavers, the SMSC saved 7,000 tires and 210,000 plastic containers from entering landfills.
-Low flow and efficient faucets, showers, and toilets will conserve water.
-A rain garden, or retention pond, is located in a decorative area with flag poles containing the United States, Minnesota, and Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community flags.
-1,900 lineal feet of benches for arena seating is made from 100% recycled high-density polyethylene plastic lumber which is created from milk jugs, shampoo bottles, and other #2 plastic containers. All of this material would have normally been taken to a landfill where it would have laid for 100's or years.
-The landscaping at the new ice arena will serve as the public interface between Dakotah! Sport and Fitness and County Road 82 and the adjoining walking trail. Irrigated turf areas will provide a visual contrast and a buffer between the roadway and parking lot area. Trees and shrubs will have seasonal color along with upscale lighting for nighttime appeal.

In future years during the off-season for hockey, the new facility may have artificial turf similar to that found in professional stadiums. The turf would be available during the months of March, April, and May so that the space could be utilized for other sports such as indoor soccer. Details on the facilities in the basement of the Dakotah! Ice Center will be released in early 2009.

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