High above the skaters at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, currently covered by snow, are solar arrays that are part of the improvements Ramsey County Parks and Recreation is making to the county’s ice rinks.
While some of these improvements might not be obvious at the county’s 10 rinks, the results are smarter, greener facilities that are also brighter and warmer — with optimal ice conditions.
Here’s a look at some of the improvements, as well as future hopes for Aldrich.
Solar-powered arenas
The solar panels for Aldrich Arena and TCO Sports Garden in Vadnais Heights — the county’s largest arenas — are part of Ramsey County’s climate equity action plan.
“As part of that plan, there are goals to reduce our energy consumption and then green energy goals,” says Mark McCabe, director of Ramsey County Parks and Recreation. “So, this is helping fulfill reducing the amount of carbon that we’re producing and is converting the energy source from the carbon source to a green energy option.
Snow covered but still collecting electrons, solar panels cover the roof of Aldrich Arena in Maplewood. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
“A big stat is 85% of the energy that’s consumed, everything that we do — parks, golf courses, ice arenas — is in the arenas, so that’s our biggest opportunity to reduce energy consumption. So this project that we did with Honeywell, which is not only the solar arrays, but it’s also converting to LED lighting, adding insulation in buildings, changing our mechanical systems like high-efficiency furnaces that collectively, throughout our whole system, will reduce our consumption of electricity by over 20 percent.”
It adds up to savings — a lot of savings.
“Through that plan, that’s roughly a $300,000 decrease in utility expenses,” McCabe says. Read on for more about those savings.
The size of the Aldrich array is roughly 350 kilowatts and the size of the TCO array is just under 1 megawatt, according to Ramsey County.
Aldrich Arena
Aldrich Arena, a multi-purpose arena located at 1850 White Bear Ave., was built in 1962. To consider how long ago that was: John F. Kennedy was president, “West Side Story” won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the first Target opened eight miles away in Roseville.
Things have changed since then.
“We’ve got a request in to the state of Minnesota for their legislative cycle of bonding to renovate this facility,” McCabe says. “This facility is over 60 years old. It’s served the community really well, but we’re trying to get it to be able to serve the next generation.”
Beyond the energy project for the county’s arenas, future goals for Aldrich include a new main entrance with increased accessibility (Aldrich was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act); adding a community room; updating the public locker rooms and green rooms as well as more of the restrooms; modernizing the concessions area and replacing the refrigeration system.
The Aldrich project is one of the county’s lead priorities within their bonding legislative priorities for the 2026 session, according to a Ramsey County spokesperson. To fund the $17 million project, the county is asking for $8.5 million from the state, to be matched with $8.5 million from the county.
Beyond skating
Ice time is an in-demand commodity in Minnesota, and that includes Ramsey County and Aldrich Arena.
“Throughout the system, we’re reserving at high capacity,” McCabe says. “But this facility is unique in its seating capacity.”
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While Aldrich has capacity for about 3,200 people who come to watch high school hockey league and playoff games here, that capacity expands to about 4,900 when the space is transformed for non-ice events, including concerts, graduations, trade shows and more. And Aldrich is a facility that hosts many events — especially now.
“With the U of M Mariucci Arena announcing that they were no longer doing graduations, we picked up a number of graduations,” says McCabe.
It’s part of the vision for this space.
“We’re really going to turn it into more of a community event center,” McCabe says.
In recent times, events include everything from a farmers’ market in the parking lot to various concerts and lots of quinceañeras; it’s also hosted a Hmong New Year celebration, an Eid prayer service, figure skating, union votes, dog shows and more.
The improvements
Aldrich Arena in Maplewood now features individual, unisex bathrooms. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Ice arenas can be chilly places, but on a recent December morning, Aldrich felt as comfortable as any non-icy interior space.
“There’s added building insulation,” McCabe said. “I think that, with the lighting, does make a difference for the user experience.”
Thanks to the improvements, according to Ramsey County, heating, cooling and ice conditions will automatically adjust to match facility use, keeping the ice perfect and the buildings comfortable.
Other improvements include renovated bathrooms and more accessible arena seating for those with wheelchairs or mobility issues. There is hopefully more to come.
“Any funding that we can save allows us to reinvest in a facility to bring more amenities that people are asking for — renovated bathrooms and public meeting spaces are some things we’re focusing on,” McCabe says.
It’s not just Aldrich seeing changes.
“Ten arena facilities are all getting improvements as well as a Parks and Recreation administration building that got improvements as well, things like LED lighting and high-efficiency furnaces,” says McCabe.
Smart buildings
The Hill-Murray boy’s hockey team practices at Aldrich Arena. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
While this phase of improvements have mostly been completed, one is still wrapping up.
“Some facilities got building automation systems,” says Gus Blumer, director of planning and development for Ramsey County Parks and Recreation. “That’s one item that we’re finishing up.”
The smart technology helps monitor and adjust energy use and, thus, costs. When heating, cooling and ice conditions can automatically adjust to those really hot days in the fall or an arena packed with people, the ice can stay perfect and the atmosphere comfortable. There are also additional safeguards, such as technology that detects refrigerant leaks quickly.
“But all the building envelope improvements have been completed,” Blumer says.
“We’ve been doing the implementation work throughout 2025,” says McCabe. “So we should be realizing the benefits.”
Costs and savings
With inflation and other economic pressures, prices are rising, including in the metro: Ramsey County is poised to increase its tax levy by 9.75% for taxes payable in 2026.
“Certainly, with tax pressures, anything that we can do that reduces things like utility expenditures is something to look at,” McCabe said.
How were the arena improvements funded?
“It’s a roughly $6.6 million project through an inter-county loan,” McCabe explains. “So the Parks and Recreation Department borrowed money from the county’s general fund. And then, through the Biden administration, there was Inflation Reduction Act funding. So basically with the installation of solar arrays, we could get up to 30% reimbursement on the cost there, that’s about $1.4 million we can get reimbursed. And then the energy savings that we realize each year for the next 15 years goes to pay back that loan.”
After the loan is paid in full, the savings continue.
“Solar panels, the life of them is 30 years,” McCabe says. “So the upside, once we pay the loan off, in addition to all the energy savings that reduce our carbon footprint, there’s also 15 years of saved money, an average of $300,000 a year, so you’re talking a pretty significant $4 million.”
Keeping the character
The commons area in the Hill-Murray boy’s hockey locker room, funded by boosters, features framed jerseys from different years. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
On Thursday morning, before anyone took to the ice for the day, Aldrich Arena Superintendent Chris Lueck led a tour through the facility.
While not everything is refreshed — the arena’s outdated and cramped public locker rooms need updates, as one example — there are some renovated restrooms, bright and clean, and the arena seating now includes more accessible options. For the hockey teams, the players’ seating has been expanded for more leg room. And, by climbing ladder-like stairs to the roof, Lueck checked on the solar arrays that were covered in snow (but still operating).
Not everything needs updating, though: There are decades of memories here, like a vintage-looking cartoon character holding a glass of Coca-Cola that is painted on a wall near a former concessions nook, and trophies behind glass that speak to the hockey victories of Hill-Murray, a private school that calls this ice home. The nostalgia gives the place some character.
“That’s the hope in general, to maintain the character of the building while upgrading and modernizing some of our amenities,” Lueck says.
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