Austin’s new ice arena, recently christened "Packer Arena," is racing toward completion.

Cement slabs have been erected to form the outer shell of the arena, finally giving shape to the building the city fought to get for so long.

According to city engineer Jon Erichson, construction "is going very well," and is on-schedule to have the ice installed in December.

"The site work is completed … the footings are in," Erichson says of the building's progress. "The wall construction should be finished (this) week and after that, they’ll start installing the geothermal system, which will heat and cool the building."

The construction of Packer Arena is being done in conjunction with renovations to Riverside Arena for a total of $3.6 million.

Erichson says the renovations at Riverside are "great. The demolition work is done and the walls were poured last week. The refrigeration upgrades have been removed and are being rebuilt … so, we might actually be a little ahead of schedule."

Amanda L. Rohde can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com