Anchorage Assembly weighs $450,010 grant and $10-a-year deal for ice arenas

The Anchorage Assembly votes June 23 on awarding management of Ben Boeke and Dempsey Anderson Ice Arenas to a nonprofit operator for $10 a year, paired with a one-time $450,010 transition grant, replacing a for-profit contract that cost the city as much as $108,663 annually.

Anchorage Community Ice Management, known as ACIM, is a newly formed subsidiary of the Anchorage Hockey Association, which was founded by Dempsey Anderson in 1961. The municipality received three responsive and responsible proposals after issuing a request for proposals in February 2026. ACIM was selected following oral interviews and negotiations that concluded in spring 2026. The proposed five-year contract includes five one-year renewal options and can be terminated on six months' notice by either party.

The administration recommends the Assembly authorize the operating agreement and the one-time transition grant of $450,010, designed to cover startup costs before the arenas' higher-revenue winter months arrive. Under the contract, ACIM will operate the facilities in accordance with the municipality's Ice Time Allocation Policy and approved annual operating plans and budgets.

The prior for-profit operator received $101,482 in 2023, $108,663 in 2024, and $99,611 in 2025 under a fee structure of $30,000 per year plus 50 percent of gross profits. ACIM has committed to reinvesting all net revenues into the facilities rather than taking a profit.

Both arenas carry significant deferred maintenance backlogs. To address them, the agreement suspends the standard requirement that five percent of gross revenues be deposited into the Capital Reserve Fund until January 1, 2029. That reserve currently holds about $1.3 million. Deposits were $172,054 in 2024 and $124,334 in 2025. The suspended deposits would instead go toward immediate facility rehabilitation, as approved by the municipality's Venues office.

ACIM also plans to take on a startup loan to finance initial operations. If the contract is terminated and ACIM ceases to operate the facilities, ACIM has agreed to transfer its entire remaining Operations Account to the municipality, making the one-time startup grant function in the nature of an advance.

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance submitted the recommendation. Municipal Manager Rebecca A. Windt Pearson concurred. The Assembly takes up the item at its June 23 meeting.