[Editor’s Note: In anti-climactic fashion, City Hall this afternoon, under the byline of Fire Chief Chris Sellers, issued a five-paragraph status update on the Culver City Ice Arena, under an imposed shutdown for more than two weeks. Secondarily, it noted that a report on the rink that it commissioned and was carried out 11 days ago predictably confirmed earlier city-sponsored findings, that the arena is presents a public health hazard that must be corrected promptly.]
The city learned last week that the property owner, Michael Karagozian, made the decision to decommission the Culver City Ice Arena and thereby remove the ammonia from the refrigeration system.
Mr. Karagozian retained PIC Environmental of La Verne, originally retained by Planet Granite to prepare a facility closure plan for review by the city. Last Friday, the city approved the final closure plan prepared by PIC Environmental, and confirmed that the work will start, under the city’s supervision, on Thursday.
Prior to learning that the property owner had made the decision to decommission the ice rink, the city, to assure there was no uncertainty in what needed to be done at the property, authorized its special counsel to retain an independent expert in ammonia refrigeration, Michael Dillon P.E., of Dillon Consulting Engineers, a Long Beach.
Mr. Dillon has issued his report, and the executive summary’s closing paragraph, excerpted from the report, is below:
“In conclusion, the current ammonia refrigeration system constitutes an imminent hazard to any occupants within the building and to the neighboring community. The only two viable options for mitigating the risks associated with this system are either its immediate shutdown and decommissioning along with removal and proper disposal of the ammonia in the system and its associated equipment and piping, similar to what is proposed in the Facility Closure Plan of 7 March 2014; or the immediate shutdown of the system and removal of the ammonia preparatory to and in conjunction with a complete overhaul and upgrade of the system to bring it and the machinery room into compliance with current codes and standards.”
The city was informed, through its legal counsel, that attorney Nadine Lewis no longer represents the property owner, Mr. Karagozian.
Attached:
1. Facility Closure Plan, PIC Environmental Services
2. Expert Report in the matter of Culver City Ice Arena, Dillon Consulting Engineers, Inc.
