PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — With two months left for the current lease agreement between the Peoria Rivermen and the Peoria Civic Center, fans from the group Operation Save the Rivermen have been showing up to Peoria City Council and Peoria Civic Center Authority Board meetings to advocate for the hockey team.
However, at Thursday’s authority board meeting, there was no mention of the fate of the Rivermen.
The board spoke about the timeline for capital improvements such as seating, the arena sound system and roof replacements.
Bidding for the arena retractable seating will begin on March 28. The board will begin accepting bids for the arena sound system and scoreboard on April 27. Roof replacements will begin on April 3 starting with the arena section. The cooling tower replacement will begin on April 5.
The board also approved $41,700 for a new hot wat heater and $91,690.55 for the upgrades of the projectors and screens that are used about 50 times a year in the ballroom and theatre areas.
Even though the Rivermen were not mentioned, longtime fan Mike Wilson still spoke during public comment encouraging the board to replace the ice plant.
The board has previously stated that plans for an ice plant are contingent upon an agreement with the Peoria Rivermen. However, Olson believes the ice plant should be on the list of repairs despite a pending lease agreement.
“It’s more than just The Rivermen. The Rivermen obviously are the biggest tenant, the one that pays the most. But there’s other activities. I remember taking my granddaughter to things like Frozen, Holiday on Ice, Ice Capades and different things that have been there. And there’s other things. There’s NCAA real good hockey tournaments that could be brought in during the holiday season,” said Olson.
After the meeting, the board told the media they did not have any comments outside of what was discussed in the meeting.
