Dickie Dunn
Hellcats Beat Reporter
The Hellcats Hockey Club is thrilled to share that the Oakland City Council has approved the $10 million in bonds required to fund the replacement of the surface refrigeration system, sub-floor, and boards at Oakland Ice Center. We sincerely thank Glenn Martin, Oakland Ice Center General Manager, and Chris Shay, San Jose Sharks Vice President for Government Affairs, for their exceptional leadership in navigating the civic process. We also appreciate Jen Reeve’s compassionate advocacy for adult hockey and the Oakland Tech hockey program, Arthur Liu (Alysa’s father) for leveraging his talented daughter’s exceptional star power, parent Andrew Waggoner for representing the Bears community’s voice, and Kieran Flaherty, President of San Francisco Earthquakes LGBTQ+ Ice Hockey Club, for his kind words in support of our hockey community.
The bonds will be offered on October 21, 2025, and the funds are anticipated to be available as of November 4, 2025, when contracting can commence. There may be opportunities for the contracting to benefit from the planned improvements to SAP Center, but this is yet to be determined. Construction could begin during the 2026 summer season.
The Oakland City Council approved $3.8 million for the refrigeration project on July 18, 2017. Unfortunately, there were no bidders at the time. Eight years later, we may finally have the funding to complete this long-awaited project.
Here are some details that may or may not materialize:
- Replace the refrigerant system with a more environmentally friendly one.
- Replace the sand floor under both surfaces with concrete.
- Install new boards donated by the Sharks via SAP Center. These boards will be accompanied by new, very bright LED lighting.
- To create a closed-off internal space between the 18th Street doors and the bathrooms, a wall under the stands on the Olympic side must be constructed.
- Build a gym next to the activity room (upstairs on the 18th Street side) for use by members of the Bears organization and adult leagues.
- The dream of Stanley’s upstairs is still alive, but is a lower priority and may be included in a different round of updates.
Previously, the management wanted to tear down one sheet while installing the new refrigeration system. The other sheet would operate on the existing system until the new system and sheet were operational. After that, they would remove the other sheet, dismantle the old system, and cut both sheets into pieces that could be attached to the new system.
The new management is currently re-evaluating the most effective methods for this work. As a result, a complete shutdown lasting 6 to 8 weeks is still being determined. However, this could be an ideal opportunity for an extended vacation during that summer.
