10/02/2026
CITY OF BARRE | OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
Stakeholder, media, and public briefing
October 1, 2026
Media contact: City Manager’s Office
B.O.R. ICE REFRIGERATION SYSTEM AND THE UPCOMING SEASON SUMMARY
The City of Barre does not expect to produce ice at the B.O.R. for the upcoming season. Testing of the 52-year-old refrigeration system caused 13 additional leaks before the system reached less than half of normal operating pressure. Based on the condition of the lines and the recommendation of the City’s rink technician, continued patching cannot provide a reliable basis for opening the rink.
Community partners and user groups should plan for the B.O.R. to be unavailable for ice this season. The City is providing notice now because alternative ice schedules are already becoming limited.
WHAT TESTING FOUND
Brad Oakes of Vermont Commercial Refrigeration, who has opened the B.O.R. ice every year since the 1970s, was on site to test the repaired system. Before the pumps were turned on, the weight of the test water caused 10 new leaks. A limited pressure test caused three more leaks at 10 pounds per square inch. Normal operating pressure is approximately 25 PSI.
At least two of the new leaks appear to be within the concrete slab. Addressing them would require capping two refrigeration lines and leaving two inactive “dead” sections in the ice surface, including one through center ice.
Oakes recommended against further leak repairs because there is no assurance they would hold. If the system were charged with glycol and another leak developed, the City could lose approximately $25,000 in coolant. He also advised that he would not perform the standard 100-PSI air flush used to remove water from the lines because of the risk of additional breaks.
Systems of this type generally have an expected service life of 20 to 30 years. The B.O.R. refrigeration lines are 52 years old. As City staff have said during this process, the lines have nothing left to give and owe the City nothing.
THE DECISION
There are times in public service when difficult decisions must be made and difficult news must be delivered. This is one of those times.
After receiving the test results and consulting with stakeholders, I determined that the City should not continue patching the system as a plan for the season. Even if additional repairs produced ice temporarily, another failure could leave teams and community partners without ice in the middle of the season and with fewer alternatives than they have now.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
There will be anger, frustration, and sadness. High school seniors will not have the opportunity to play a final season at their home rink. Families, teams, adult players and community organizations will have to change plans built around the B.O.R.
We should not minimize those effects. They demonstrate how important this facility and its ice have been to generations of Barre residents.
IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS
• The City is notifying community partners and user groups promptly so they have the best possible chance to secure alternative ice time.
• We are exploring pipe-lining technology used in other industries for adaptation to the B.O.R.’s one- inch refrigeration pipes. This would be a highly unconventional use. Its feasibility and effects on heat transfer, ice quality and long-term reliability are unknown, and the community should not rely on it as a solution.
• We will be evaluating whether the former outdoor rink at the north end of Barre could be rehabilitated for one season. It would likely not meet the needs of competitive users, but it may support community skating and events.
• We will be collecting the information needed for a long-term decision making regarding the B.O.R., including the condition of the floor, refrigeration system, humidity controls, roof and insulation.
LONG-TERM COST AND PLANNING
Replacing the floor and refrigeration lines alone is estimated to cost between $1.7 million and $2 million. That estimate does not address the building’s humidity, roof or insulation issues. The City will evaluate the full facility, possible funding sources and outside partnerships before presenting a long - term recommendation.
People have expressed to me that Barre is experiencing a rebirth. Part of that work is recognizing when something has reached the end of its useful life, honoring what it meant and deciding what should come next.
The pipes beneath the B.O.R. floor may owe us nothing after 52 years. But the people who have filled that rink for more than half a century deserve the chance to build its next chapter .
Patrick Cushing
City Manager
