PROVO — A senior Olympic official said Thursday he is "very concerned" Provo's Peaks Ice Arena may not be ready on time to host 13 days of ice hockey competitions during the 2002 Winter Games.
"We are very concerned that we are not going to be prepared for the Games, and the Peaks, which is a good venue, will not give Provo the opportunity to shine," said Grant Thomas, senior vice president of venues for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.
Thomas' concerns stem from a dispute over a faulty refrigeration system, which has dragged on for more than a year and has not yet been resolved. He said the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the arena's managers.
SLOC representatives worry that as they begin making final preparations for the Games scheduled for Feb. 8-24, communication problems with Peaks management will persist. In the next few months, thousands of temporary seats and locker rooms are to be installed at the arena.
"Things aren't progressing as quickly as we would like, but we're not switching venues," said SLOC spokeswoman Caroline Shaw. "We will continue to press (Peaks) management to move in a more timely fashion."
A venue management team from SLOC is scheduled to take over operations sometime this fall.
The Provo City/Utah County Ice Sheet Authority, the governmental entity that owns the arena, voted Thursday to create a management team to resolve construction related issues at the Peaks. Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, who chairs the authority, said problems with the chiller will be resolved as soon as possible.
"In some ways we're bypassing (arena manager Max Rabner) and saying we're going to do whatever is necessary to get things fixed," said County Commissioner Gary Herbert who serves as Ice Sheet Authority vice chairman.
Rabner, president of Seven Peaks Management Co., has been the focal point of much of the blame in not resolving a problem with a refrigeration system that he says leaks. Rabner said the faulty chilling system does not impact the arena's ability to make ice, however.
"The problems with the chiller has nothing to do with getting ready for the Games," Rabner said. "We have complied with every duty SLOC has asked us to comply with."
Concerns with the way Rabner does his job surfaced last month when the Ice Sheet Authority board met in a closed-door meeting. The state's open meetings law allows closed meetings to discuss "the character, professional competence or physical or mental health of an individual or individuals."
Rabner attended the meeting with his attorney — but insisted he was not the individual being discussed.
On Thursday, Rabner attended another closed-door meeting with his attorney where the same topics were discussed.
Members of the Ice Sheet Authority would not comment on what was said in either closed-door meeting, but representatives from that body and SLOC have said they are concerned with the way the facility is run. They say, however, Rabner is not in danger of losing his job.
According to a former Peaks employee contacted by the Deseret News, several high-level Peaks staffers have either quit or been fired in the last few months.
"(Rabner) drives the Zamboni, he runs the front desk, he is the programming director, he runs the concession stand," said Katie Head, a former skating director who was fired. "If things keep going the way they are going today, that place is going to fall apart. It will be a pile of bricks sitting next to a water park in 20 years."
Rabner calls Head a disgruntled employee and Head herself admits she was fired because she is hard to get along with.
Current and former employees, who asked not to be named, say Rabner also fired the bookkeeper and hired his son to do the accounting.
Employees also say one of Rabner's sons recently rented a U-Haul to pick up trash that had not been collected from the property in months.
One employee, who asked not to be named, said the utility company has threatened to turn off power at the facility if late bills are not paid.
Rabner said piles of trash were not picked up during the Four Nations Hockey tournament in November because it was SLOC's responsibility, not his. He says he has been late in paying some utility bills, but has never been in danger of losing elecricity at the Peaks.
E-MAIL: jhyde@desnews.com