Denny Magruder, executive director of the arena, said the area, which is 185 feet long and 85 feet wide, required 31 full cement trucks to fill the arena floor.

Magruder said the concrete is a special mix needed to create the new ice rink.

“It’s plasticized because (water) freezes on top of it, so it has to have the ability to expand and contract,” he said. “It’s not like what we’re standing on or what’s in your sidewalk.”

Magruder said the pour had to be continuous so it would be seamless. A finishing crew of about 20 people was working to level and smooth the concrete with machines and by hand as it was being poured. He estimated the finishing work would last into the evening hours Wednesday.

photo by: Photo by Shelley Hanson

Employees with Hanson Ready Mix work to pour and finish the new concrete floor for the ice rink at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday.

About 12 miles of black tubing was installed underneath the concrete and will chill the floor and water into ice, he said.

“That will cause the floor to freeze – that’s the refrigeration,” he said. “That piping will be located about 1 inch under the floor. We have glycol, an antifreeze-like substance, that flows through at refrigerated temperatures.

“We can pump it through there at 12 degrees or 14 degrees, whatever we want. There are two thermostats in the floor so we can always measure what the floor temperatures are.”

For example, Wheeling Nailers hockey and youth hockey leagues need the ice to be harder, while figure skating, such as the Symphony on Ice performances, needs the ice a little softer, he said.

“We have the ability to adjust the ice temperature,” Magruder added.

photo by: Photo by Shelley Hanson

Employees with Hanson Ready Mix work to pour and finish the new concrete floor for the ice rink at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday.

The original floor was poured 30 years ago in 1992. This latest project, which included demolition work of the old floor, installation of the ice rink technology and concrete work overtop of it, cost $1.7 million.

“There is actually a system underneath to keep it from freezing down into the permafrost,” he added. “I think in today’s dollars that’s a pretty good buy. The original floor 30 years ago was in that same price range. Technologies have improved efficiency.”

The general contractor on the job is Everything Ice of Johnstown, Pa. The concrete company is Hanson Ready Mix.

“The original ice system had ceased working and was at the far end of its useful life,” Magruder noted. “There was a stop-gap for about three years with a sophisticated portable system, but it was above the floor, it lay on the floor. Converting to other events was a little more difficult and required more labor.

“The installation and removal of the ice was much more difficult than it will be with this system. This is much more economical and it’s high quality.”

photo by: Photo by Shelley Hanson

Employees with Hanson Ready Mix work to pour and finish the new concrete floor for the ice rink at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday.

Scot Welshans, salesman with Hanson Ready Mix, said the job would take about 300 yards of concrete. Cement trucks were arriving in 15-minute intervals during the continuous pour from McMechen. Backup trucks were available in the case of a holdup in traffic or other issues.

He noted his company is also beginning the concrete work on the new parking garage on Market Street downtown. That project, along with the arena, has been a nice departure from the many natural gas drilling-related jobs the company has conducted lately, he noted.

“It’s a great pleasure to be working here in Wheeling,” Welshans said.

Magruder estimated the new ice system will last at least another 30 years. It will take about 20 days for the concrete to cure.

Employees with Hanson Ready Mix work to pour and finish the new concrete floor for the ice rink at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday.

Employees with Hanson Ready Mix work to pour and finish the new concrete floor for the ice rink at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday.

A Hanson Ready Mix employee uses a riding trowel machine to smooth and level the new concrete being poured Wednesday for the ice rink at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday.