Peoria's long and icy road: Rivermen, Civic Center locked in negotiations over lease, ice plant

PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen will begin their championship defense in the SPHL when opening night on the 2024-25 season arrives in less than 90 days.

Meanwhile, the clock continues to run on negotiations toward a long-term lease with the Peoria Civic Center and with new ice-making machinery to be paid for via money allocated by the Peoria City Council last year.

So as the calendar turns to August and the Rivermen prepare to play on a one-year lease, where does this journey stand on a road paved with ice?

More: City Council takes major step toward keeping the Rivermen in Peoria. Here's what's next

"I did my part as a city councilman, as an elected official, to find some money for the Civic Center and my colleagues supported it and got it done for them," said longtime Peoria City Councilman Denis Cyr, the architect of a plan conceptualized in 2022, born in 2023, that delivered an additional $20 million to the Civic Center to cover a shortfall for repairs and renovations that included the ice-making machinery — also known as an ice plant.

"All I'm going to say is, the Peoria Civic Center has $20 million from us in their pocket," Cyr said. "Our City Council requirement to the Civic Center for that money is that they sign a long-term lease with the Peoria Rivermen.

"It hasn't happened yet. And I'm just waiting to see what is going to happen."

The ice plant 'needs to be replaced'

Carver Arena was built 43 years ago, with architectural sightlines originally designed for hockey. The ice-making machinery is massive, and past managers of the 11,000-seat building have said it was shipped in and assembled and the arena completed around it. The existing ice plant is at least 30 years old, and parts of the system are original to 43 years ago.

The Civic Center recently underwent a $45 million overhaul inside Carver Arena , with renovations like a massive new scoreboard and ribbon boards, concessions stands, bathroom remodels and more. The new upgrade did not include the ice plant, which the Rivermen believe will take a 120-day window during the offseason to remove the old machinery and construct a new one. Both the Rivermen and Cyr said their understanding is a new containment building for the incoming ice plant also will have to be constructed outside the arena. For that reason, the initial estimate of $3.5 million for the project is now closer to $5 million.

More: 'Wow effect': Inside the Peoria Civic Center's major $45 million renovation

Longtime Peoria Civic Center director of operations Will Kenney is in charge of planning for the project, including when construction could start, what would be involved, where the new equipment is going to come from and whether bids have been let and how long will the construction last.

Kenney did not respond to multiple calls from the Journal Star the last two weeks and declined to an in-person interview this week. An email request for an interview drew a response from the marketing department: "Thank you for reaching out. As previously mentioned, the Peoria Civic Center Authority has allocated funds for the renovation of the ice plant, and planning is ongoing. At this time, we do not have any additional information or updates on the project."

The Rivermen, in recent seasons, paid thousands of dollars to the Civic Center to replace leaking coolant in the ice-making system. That problem has not appeared recently, though.

"It worked great without problems last year, but everyone knows it needs to be replaced," Rivermen co-owner Bart Rogers said. "We can't have a hockey team without it. Our understanding is that once we have a long-term lease in place, the ice plant project will go forward.

"We want a long-term lease. We've said that from Day 1."

Rogers declined to discuss any lease negotiation specifics, but said the team's overall business of hockey is strong in Peoria and "we continue to meet and discuss long-term deal options with the Peoria Civic Center Authority and hope to get there in the weeks and months ahead."

The team has produced an increase of more than 20% in attendance two years in a row while bringing Peoria fans two SPHL championships in three seasons. Rogers said season ticket sales and corporate revenue have both increased for the 2024-25 season.

Peoria Civic Center director of sales and marketing Beau Sutherland, in a Journal Star interview earlier this month, said ice plant discussions and lease negotiations are ongoing.

"I think it's one of those things where it's an ongoing conversation with the team and the authority as far as timing and scheduling," Sutherland said. "… I know the other thing, too, is that the authority and the team are working toward a longer-term contract, so I am sure those conversations are included in that negotiation as far as from a timing standpoint. … Originally, (the ice plant) is part of the slated capital improvements, now I think that it's just working out the details."

More: 'Bigger than sports': Rivermen players speak out on lease issues with Peoria Civic Center

The view from the mayor's office

Peoria Mayor Rita Ali, who recently announced her reelection bid , is responsible for appointing Civic Center Authority chairman Yvonne Greer and other board members and is aware of their decisions.

Rivermen fans attended City Council meetings multiple times in 2023 when the city was discussing Cyr's funding proposal for a new ice plant and the attached long-term lease requirements. She knows it's a passionate fanbase.

"I'm not anxious about this," Ali said of lease negotiations. "They keep me updated, and I haven't heard a lot of complaints or frustrations from either side. I know they are trying to work things out on a new contract. I don't know what all the details are.

"I thought things came to kind of a happy ending last year relative to the commitment to a (playing) schedule, a commitment to an ice plant. Funding was committed from the city to the Civic Center with the intention for the ice plant (replacement) to be a part of that. The two parties, Rivermen and Civic Center, have to work out their agreement."

More: Peoria Rivermen, Peoria Civic Center reach deal to keep pro hockey team at Carver Arena

Ali doesn't think the talks have stalled because a deal of this magnitude "takes a couple years to get done," she said. She called the promised money a "big investment" and says "we need for them to have a strong commitment to stay."

"There was a point when things were not so good," Ali said, "I'm not here to put pressure on anybody. If pressure was needed, I may say something stronger. My message to both sides? Keep talking."

The Civic Center and its tenant, the Rivermen, operate in Peoria City Councilman Chuck Grayeb's district, and both are vital to downtown's present and future. Grayeb announced Tuesday he has joined the mayoral race . He did not return a call seeking comment on the progress of the Rivermen-Civic Center negotiations.

In 2023, Grayeb told the Journal Star : "I think what this boils down to is that the Rivermen draw people to our downtown, and that's a real positive for the downtown and our region. I don't think the city or the Peoria Civic Center can afford to lose a strong and energetic segment of our population that enjoys Rivermen hockey. To go the other way would be irresponsible."

Peoria City Councilman John Kelly, who also announced his candidacy for mayor , said during conversations in 2023 that he supported the team's place as a Civic Center tenant and the ice plant replacement.

"(The Civic Center) is a public asset that is not designed to make money," he said then . "It is designed to be a community asset like Glen Oak Park, which doesn't pay for itself. It was never designed to pay for itself. If the Rivermen don't make enough money for the Civic Center, then too bad, they are a community asset."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.

More: An expiring lease and millions in bonds: Inside the deal that could keep the Rivermen here

Timeline of Peoria Rivermen-Civic Center negotiations

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria's long and icy road: Rivermen, Civic Center locked in negotiations over lease, ice plant