EVERETT — Every new house has its bugs, and the $71.5 million Everett Events Center is no exception.
After a week’s operation, events center staff are still working out the glitches.
"No matter how well you plan a building, until people actually get in it, you don’t know how it’s going to work," said Kim Bedier, general manager of Global Spectrum, which manages the arena.
The most serious problems have to do with high humidity levels that fogged the plexiglass surrounding the hockey and community ice rinks during the Silvertips’ debut game on Oct. 4.
On Friday, Everett Public Facilities District director Fred Safstrom said the humidity in the building decreased last week after technicians adjusted the software that controls the heating and ventilation system.
"I really feel that the crisis is passing now. But we’ll continue to monitor it for the next week," Safstrom said
If the humidity doesn’t stabilize, building operators may have to spend $340,000 to install two dehumidifiers, an expense that would almost deplete the building’s $400,000 contingency fund.
Whether the dehumidifiers are needed should be apparent by next week, Safstrom said.
Other, less troubling bugs have popped up here and there.
Water in the pit where the Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine is kept was not draining properly after the first night’s game.
"Instead of it flowing into the drain, water was flowing into the room," Safstrom said. "That’s been corrected."
On opening night, the new $62,250 Zamboni broke down, while the rink’s backup Zamboni, a $29,250 1982 model, came through like "a champ," Safstrom said. The new machine has been fixed.
A fire alarm went off in the building this week after someone turned on a new pizza oven that still had the cardboard packing in it. "Smoke starting pouring out of it, which caused a minor panic," Safstrom said.
Staff are still learning the building’s logistics. But now they are armed with maps.
Bedier said events center staff have been given the maps to help fans find exits, restrooms and concessions.
Staff are also getting a quick course in the rules of hockey. Fans want to know everything, from why a player is sitting in the penalty box to why they’re supposed to wait for play to stop before they go back to their seat, (so seated fans’ views are not blocked).
"We’re coming along." Bedier said.
While the fans are learning hockey basics, a few out-of-towners have had to adjust to an important aspect of Northwest culture: caffeine.
The manager of the CenterPlate concessionaire, a native of New Orleans, initially positioned the latte stands in out-of-the way corners.
"He learned pretty quickly people out here have to have their coffee," Bedier said.
As a result, the latte stands were relocated to the front door, where people could see them.
Reporter Janice Podsada: 425-339-3029 or podsada@heraldnet.com.
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