Volunteers and ice-making equipment were hard at work Monday turning ashes into an ice rink.

Debris from last spring's arson fire has long since been cleaned up. But efforts to lay down ice for the first time since Iceland burned just began Sunday night inside the thick concrete and rebar exterior walls that survived the flames.

The Kerth family, now operating Iceland as a nonprofit, hopes to be able to open a 13,500-square-foot temporary outdoor rink as soon as Thursday afternoon. Earlier this month, the city Planning Commission awarded a special use permit needed because of the potential noise now that the rink at 1430 Del Paso Blvd. will be outside.

A problem with the plan cropped up late Monday afternoon. At 4:30 p.m., Sacramento City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, whose district includes the rink, requested that the permit be reconsidered by the City Council, said Midtown Business Association Executive Director Rob Kerth, a former city councilman.

The lateness of her request means the item wouldn't be considered by the council until Dec. 14 at the earliest, and possibly not until January. That could keep Iceland from opening until it has a new roof – which would mean no skating this winter, said Kerth, adding neither Sheedy nor her staff contacted the family to discuss concerns.

The conflict may be a bonus for skaters. The Kerths plan to allow everyone to skate for free.

"I think we may just open on (Dec. 2) anyway. But we won't be able to charge for skating," Kerth said. "We can let our friends skate. Just so you know: We've got tens of thousands of friends."

A jar will be available for donations. The indoor rink charged $6 for kids and $7 for adults, plus $2 to rent skates. 

Sheedy, who has been sick for several days, could not be reached for comment. Her staff refused comment.

To get to this point, individuals and local companies have donated time and materials. About 20 people worked over the weekend.

"It's thanks to the volunteers that it's going to be open again," said Terrie Kerth, executive director of the nonprofit, Sacramento Iceland. "We've had so many volunteers and we never could've made it happen without them."

Investigators have yet to catch the person who torched the 70-year-old landmark. The arsonist doused the interior and a stolen car parked in a back alley with gasoline. The car exploded like a bomb and ignited the fire, Kerth said.

Kerth's grandparents, Bill and Emily Kerth, opened the indoor ice-skating rink in 1940, next to their first business, American Ice Co. The ice company, built over an old well still in operation, was busy only during the summer. The indoor rink was opened to pick up some of the slack in the winter, said Terrie Kerth, who grew up at the ice rink with her five siblings.

She remembered the night of the five-alarm fire, when she and her siblings, including brother Rob, watched Iceland burn. They stared in shock as flames shot through the collapsed roof. The Kerth siblings vowed to reopen the rink.

"That was a sad day," Terrie Kerth said. "Even when we get this rebuilt, it'll never be the same."

Her mother, Jeanne Kerth, and aunt, Eva Kerth Brandt, own both Iceland and American Ice. The family had leased Iceland and American Ice to another operator, Chris Lord, in recent years. But the ice-skating rink was barely breaking even, and there was no fire insurance, Terrie Kerth said.

Nonprofit ice-skating rinks have been a trend in recent years. Such rinks have popped up in Washington, Montana and New York, and another is under way in Santa Barbara. The family had been considering making Iceland a nonprofit even before the fire so the rink could continue.

From now on, Iceland will operate as a nonprofit. The rink has liability insurance, but doesn't currently need fire insurance because there’s nothing left to burn. Renovations will bring the facility up to code, and they expect to get fire insurance, she said.

The skate rental shop has been set up inside a small shack rebuilt as a hockey dressing room just last February – about a month before the fire.

Inside, Kerth works at a makeshift office built from a donated a desk, chair and lamps. She's currently working on a fundraising drive to collect money for everything from a new roof and restrooms to doors and spectator bleachers. She's also recruiting people to sponsor new glass blocks for the front exterior. Donors' names will be engraved on each block, she said.

More work is under way at the rink this week. Porta-potties have been brought in. Small volunteer crews will build handicapped-accessible exit ramps and finish the top of the rail this week. About 400 pairs of skates will be cleaned and fitted with new laces.

The loss of the building's roof means the ice-skating rink will be open to the sky, wind, rain and other elements for the first time this year. But Kerth, who put herself through UC Davis by teaching ice skating, said skating outside promises to be a lot of fun.

A national figure skating competitor, the 61-year-old took first place two months ago in a freestyle category at the Ice Skating Institute Adult Championships. Free skating lessons will be taught for 15 minutes at the start of every hour.

The rink will be open weekdays, tentatively from 3 - 8 p.m. Weekend hours will be 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

They've already got 400 ponchos for kids and adults in case of light rain. The rink will temporarily close during heavy rain, Kerth said.

Rain won't be a problem for the ice. The indoor rink's pipes and the ice-making equipment next door survived the fire. A Zamboni will smooth the surface just like always. But the rink can only stay open until March, and that's only if the weather stays cool enough.

The family wants to put a roof back on the rink as soon as possible so the rink can again operate year-round. An architect is drawing up plans now.

"I'm hoping we can marshal enough forces to put a roof on next year," Kerth said. 

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.