Green ice?

The theme of the Silverdale ice arena is green.

When the design was unveiled on Thursday, March 7, architects and engineers working on the project heralded steps they had taken to reduce stormwater runoff into nearby creeks, increase energy efficiency and use recycled materials in construction.

Instead of retention ponds, the facility will use a stormwater system in which water is collected and filtered below ground.

“One thing we want to emphasize is the stormwater won’t run into Barker Creek,” said Devin Johnson, an architect with Bainbridge Island-based Miles Yanick and Co.

An underground trench will be dug, lined with a perforated pipe, and water will be released into native sand.

And the ice arena could share parking space with the nearby Fairgrounds Pavilion, eliminating the need for paving — reputedly a scourge for salmon, planners added.

Heat reclaimed from the ice will be used to warm water for showers and to heat the aluminum spectator bleachers, according to Art Sutherland, who is designing the arena’s ice system.

In addition, the cooling system will use ammonia in place of ozone-damaging freon, said Sutherland, who helped design the refrigeration system for the ice at the Salt Lake City Olympics.

About 20 people attended the unveiling, which took place at the Yacht Club Broiler restaurant in Silverdale.

Designers also are focusing on recycling. Steel for the building’s frame, rubber for flooring, drywall and foam insulation all will be reused materials, according to Johnson.

“I think you will find this is head-and-shoulders above any green building built on this side of the water,” said Miles Yanick of Yanick and Co.

To save energy, the ice arena will use insulation to create a thermal barrier, efficient lighting which can easily be dimmed, natural light and lights which automatically shut off when a room is vacant.

The management group Meakin has selected — including contractors, a hockey program coordinator and the manager of the Ice Cafe — are mostly Kitsap County residents.

“The beauty of this is that the whole team is local, no one swooped in from out of town,” said Jim Wootan, construction manager.

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