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1. What steps have been taken since the fire in January?

Shortly after the fire was extinguished, M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation put in place an aggressive program to clean-up the building area in order to assess the extent of the damage. An internal staff task force was established. A private consulting team with expertise in ice rink construction and operations was secured to conduct an evaluation of the site and building and prepare a required engineering report for M-NCPPC’s insurance provider. These reports are necessary to specifically assess the damage, estimate the cost of the damage, work with the insurance company, and begin the planning to replace the facility.

January-March:
o Cleanup of facility began. M-NCPPC hired a company that specializes in cleanup of fire-damaged buildings. The cost of the clean-up totaled $400,000.

o Insurance Company walk-through to evaluate fire damage to the facility.

o M-NCPPC completed the process of hiring a consultant to do a comprehensive assessment of the entire building and produce a report with its findings.

April-June:
o The assessment report was submitted to M-NCPPC’s insurance company. The insurance company will conduct an independent assessment of the building and compare its findings with those of M-NCPPC. Afterward, negotiations between M-NCPPC and the insurance company will be initiated to identify the true value of the loss at the facility. The insurance company’s review is underway.

o M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation requested permission from the Prince George’s County Council to “appropriate funds” in order to allow the Department to begin spending the insurance money as soon as it comes in.

o M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation and the consultant met with the TRIR stakeholder group (a group of community volunteers) to provide updates on the facility assessment and the insurance process.

o Second meeting of the TRIR stakeholder group.

o Established a public outreach program.
o Formed a community working group (TRIR stakeholder group).
o Working with the Prince George’s County Council on budget approval so that an accelerated design and construction procurement process can begin in order to begin replacing this facility as quick as possible.
o
Next steps include:
• Developing the building design and construction documents,
• Securing site and building permits,
• Beginning building construction,
• Staff move in and training.

2. What are the plans for rebuilding TRIR?

M-NCPPC is committed to replacing the existing Tucker Road Ice Rink, and possibly expanding the ice rink. It will do so using proceeds from the insurance settlement and the additional funds of approximately $11 million approved by the Prince George’s County Council in M-NCPPC’s FY2018 Capital Improvement Program.

3. Do any ice rink scenarios include two sheets of ice?

The focus is to replace the Tucker Road Ice Rink as quickly as possible. The goal is to meet the community needs for ice-skating to the maximum extent that can be afforded. Therefore, the costs for two replacement options are being developed: one sheet of ice and two sheets of ice. Based on the cost estimates and depending on the insurance settlement, M-NCPPC will determine whether sufficient funds for a second sheet of ice will be available.

4. Once the new TRIR is built, will historical user groups maintain their priority ranking when it comes to booking ice time?

Yes

5. How much funding is available for the reconstruction of the Tucker Road Ice Rink?

The Prince George’s County Council approved a project expenditure budget of up to $20 million to replace the Tucker Road Ice Rink. The County Council authorized $11 million funding to come from M-NCPPC in bonds and pay-as-you-go funding, plus an estimated $9 million from the insurance claim. This is currently being negotiated.  The initial estimate from the insurance company is $3 to $3.5 million.

The total amount of funding or total amount that can be spent, will not be known until the insurance claim is finalized. The good news is that the $11 million in funding will be available July 1, 2017, which will allow M-NCPPC to move as quickly as possible on this project.

6. How much insurance money will there be to help with the replacement cost of a new building?

M-NCPPC is currently in negotiations with the insurance company on the cost of damage from the fire. The consulting team hired by M-NCPPC has estimated that it would cost at least $8.7 million to replace the existing Tucker Road Ice Rink with more than $5 million of that cost directly related to fire damage. Initial estimates from the insurance company put the value of the damage in the range of $3 to $3.5 million. M-NCPPC’s goal is to negotiate as quickly as possible, the maximum settlement from the insurance company to help with the replacement of the facility.

7. How does the insurance work?

• M-NCPPC is self-insured and pays for the first $250,000 of damage.  
• Losses greater than $250,000 are covered by commercial stop loss insurance.  
• FM Global is the insurance company.  
• Coverage is based on Replacement Cost Value (RCV)
• The cost to repair, replace or rebuild of like size, kind, and quality.
• Extra expenses related to loss of use and loss of revenue, code upgrades, demolition, and other construction costs.

8. Is there a maximum settlement amount?

No, the settlement is determined based on replacement cost value for the damage caused by the fire.

9. Will insurance pay for expanding the facility?

No, the insurance will only pay for the replacement cost value.

10. How is replacement cost value determined?

Independent assessments of the damage are done by M-NCPPC and by the insurance company. The final amount will be determined by M-NCPPC working with the insurance company and the self-insurance claims administrator.

11. When will the insurance settlement be known?

The insurance company is preparing its assessment of the Replacement Cost Value, which should be delivered soon. Negotiations will begin once the report is received.

12. What impact does the insurance settlement have on replacing the rink?

Right now, the M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation needs to determine if it can afford to build one-sheet of ice or two-sheets of ice. Depending on the costs for these options and depending on the amount of from insurance, the Department will determine how to proceed on defining the project scope.

13. As a user group/citizen, is there anything we/I can do to help secure funding for this project?

The Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Foundation is developing a capital campaign to support the replacement of the Tucker Road Ice Rink. The funds will be used for the enhancement of the TRIR.

If you know of any potential contributors or other sources of funding, please share them with Tracy Wright, Corporate and Community Engagement Officer at the Parks and Recreation Foundation. Tracy may be reached at Tracy.Wright@pgparks.com or 301-446-3345.

The Foundation received the first donation towards the new TRIR from Safeway!

14. Can M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation provide a timeline of next steps?

Over the next 60 days, the Department will be focusing on completing the following actions:
• Finalizing the insurance claim
• Finalizing cost estimates for replacement options
• Completing site analysis to most cost effectively locate the replacement facility
• Expediting the procurement process
• Partnering with the community TRIR stakeholder group
• Beginning design work for the replacement facility
• Developing a project schedule

Once more information is gathered on cost estimates, insurance claims, and site analysis, the Department will develop a more complete project schedule for the replacement of the facility.

15. How can the community have their voices heard throughout the process by M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation?

There are several means to express your thoughts and recommendations regarding this project. You may voice your opinions to members of the stakeholders group; attend scheduled community meetings or send an email to Mr. Atuya Cornwell, County-Wide Sports Coordinator at atuya.cornwell@pgparks.com.