Organizers hoping to have ice rink open in December
Got ice? North Idaho residents very soon may have their own – indoor ice rink that is. In just over a month, the Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization hopes to reopen the rink behind Ceramics Galore at 3509 W. Seltice Way in Coeur d’Alene.
The road to reopening has been long and arduous, according to Dean Gorman, president of both the Coeur d’Alene Colts hockey club and Hockey Northwest.
“Many local businesses and individuals have been donating supplies, services and labor to get this place open,” said Gorman, standing at center ice scanning the perimeter of the arena.
An impressive 6-foot-by-20-foot scoreboard was donated by Pepsi and is in place.
“Last year we purchased high-end boards (the perimeter walls and see-through glass that protect spectators and keep the hockey puck in play) from the Seattle Center Arena,” Gorman said. “We also bought a slightly used ice-making system last year.”
The ice-making system consists of a condenser unit and pumps that sends low-temperature glycol throughout pipes in the concrete floor of the rink, freezing it. At that point, water is flooded across the floor, and the ice sets up. The piping and concrete were laid this past summer. Bleachers are being constructed to bring spectator capacity to around 500. The organization also has a Zamboni ice-cleaning unit to smooth and repair the ice between games or other skating activities.
“The (rink) will host public skating, ‘drop-in hockey,’ as well as the hockey leagues,” Gorman said. A full program is planned, including beginning ‘learn to skate’ and hockey classes.
“The whole goal is to get local kids out on the ice,” Gorman said.
The group has plans for a second building to the west of the existing rink that would house another, larger rink, with seating for up to 2,000. Gorman said the new ice-making system has the ability to serve both rinks. He said the larger arena would be used primarily as the Coeur d’Alene Colts’ home ice, as well as hosting youth hockey tournaments.
Now in their fifth season, the Colts play in the Northern Pacific Hockey League, a 20-and-under youth hockey league. Until recently referred to as the Kootenai Colts, the team has hosted home games at the now-closed Planet Ice in Otis Orchards. Their season runs between September and February. Plans are to begin hosting home games at the rink off Seltice in mid-December.
The facility will have five locker rooms when it opens: two for teams on the ice, two for teams dressing for the next game, and a women’s locker room.
“Women’s hockey has taken off (and become popular),” Gorman said. The locker area also has training- and officials’ rooms.
A maintence facility to house the Zamboni and the ice-making system still needs to be built. The original structure has been torn down, and the new addition will be more than twice the size of the old maintenance facility.
Vince Hughes, president of KYRO and Immaculate Conception Hockey group, is guardedly optimist about the rink’s reopening.
“I want to wait until we get through the building permit issues (before I get excited),” he said. “A December opening is still a good possibility, but we are waiting for our architect to resubmit plans for the maintenance addition at this time. I do want to say that roughly 75 percent of the work done at the rink so far has been volunteer, and they’ve done a great job.”