DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman posted this on the center's Facebook page Tuesday: "Things are hot at the DECC – not all of them in a good way. Over the last three years, the DECC has continued a dance of three steps forward as we invest in improvements, countered by the occasional stumble-step back.
Many positive changes have taken place at the DECC, such as a 30% increase in revenue. That has meant increased economic impact; we created $53.2 million for the region last year alone. And I’m proud of the many investments we’ve made that will keep the DECC going into the future.
While that's been happening, we have had two out of three ice plants (primarily used for making ice sheets for skating) break down. To be fair, they were from 1976 and 1966 and should have been replaced when Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were president.
Those ice plants weren't just used for ice, but re-appropriated as air conditioning throughout the DECC Campus. Why? Several other AC units broke in the '90s, and early 2000s, and the problem was band-aided by siphoning cool air from the aged ice chillers to where AC was needed. Since then, we have been using the AMSOIL Arena AC unit.
Thankfully, the 2023 legislature has provided funding to replace the AC units for $2.8 million, which is in the works. (This price tag is why the past DECC management didn't replace the AC units.)
Fast forward to this summer with substantial heat and humidity. While the AMSOIL unit had in the past been able to keep up with typical "cool Duluth summers," it has been anything but that recently. That is why I made the tough decision to rent a temporary AC unit that we can plug into our system.
What makes this decision difficult is it's a costly fix. With a temporary AC, we can ensure more comfortable conditions than we had this last weekend. On the one hand, it seems like a silly expense, given we are in the process of building the new AC unit, and by simply waiting for it, we could save $100,000 over the next year. But the comfort of our convention and entertainment guests is essential as we want them to enjoy their experience and continue to bring their business to Duluth.
My decision was further swayed given we don't know when the new AC will be installed. For various reasons, from supply chain issues to ensuring the planning is done right. Air conditioners of this size aren't like plopping in a window unit.
To make it tougher, the DECC is still in a place of trying to find ways to bring costs down, and this sure doesn't help. Sometimes, it's good to go back to a guiding point: "Produce the Best Event." Well, then it becomes an easy question, having adequate AC definitely makes an event better.
We are lucky to have found a temporary unit in Chicago. It will arrive in the next few weeks. Before it is here, there will be events, and we will do our best to make things as good as we can with the resources we have. This means we must get creative with more large fans and misting stations on our decks to get us all through this heat. Thanks for coming along with us on this journey."
