The St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council is seeking volunteers to help build the Ice Palace that will be part of the 2004 Winter Carnival.

Volunteers are needed from all union construction crafts, said Jim Brown, of the Lakes and Plains Regional Council of Carpenters. Site work will begin in September, though most of the work will be done in December and January. Trades members should contact their local union to sign up on the volunteer list, Brown said. Members whose locals are not keeping a list should call Brown at 651-379-0223.

Building Trades unions have pledged $500,000 worth of volunteer labor for the palace, which will be built across from the Xcel Energy Center. The palace will reach 75 feet at its peak and is expected to require 26,000 blocks of ice. The palace will be a centerpiece of the Winter Carnival and the 2004 NHL All-Star Game, being hosted by the Minnesota Wild.

Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org or check out the Assembly website, www.stpaulunions.org