NMU chief marketing officer Derek Hall said the facility’s cooling system was outdated.

“The freon systems are being replaced by new technology,” he said. “This system was out of date, and we really couldn’t keep it running.”

There now are 10 miles of piping within the cement, Hall said.

“There’s also some heating element involved, so when we want to melt the ice, we can melt it pretty quickly, take it out,” he said.

Cement is poured on the floor of the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Thursday as part of a renovation project to update the cooling system. Ice is expected to be back by Oct. 1. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

A total of 340 cubic yards of cement were put in, according to Hall, with trucks coming in all day Thursday. The cement, however, has to cure for 28 days. The plan is to have ice back on the rink by Oct. 1.

He also noted that the ice rink will be six feet narrower, but people — and squads like the Wildcats hockey team — still can play the sport on it.

In 2021, the NMU Board of Trustees voted to invest $90.6 million in capital projects, major maintenance and campus improvements. Bond proceeds were to cover slightly more than a third of the total cost, with other funding sources including capital and maintenance reserves, state capital outlay funds and private donors.

Replacement of the Berry Events Center’s ice-making system, a $6.5 million project, is one of the major maintenance projects. A news release from NMU in 2021 indicated that it is over 30 years old, and its required refrigerant no longer is available.

In addition, work has been scheduled for the nearby Vandament Arena so that Northern men’s and women’s basketball games can be played there instead of the BEC, when the ice would have to be covered for a gym floor.

Cement is poured on the floor of the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Thursday as part of a renovation project to update the cooling system. Ice is expected to be back by Oct. 1. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

Currently the home of the Wildcats volleyball team, the larger seating capacity in Vandament should be ready for the basketball teams to move in for the fall of 2024.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.