Anonymous donor pledges $44 million for new Spokane Valley ice rink

An anonymous local donor’s $44 million could be bringing an ice rink to Spokane Valley.

The facility would be 65,000 square feet and have two NHL-sized ice sheets with seating for about 700 people, locker rooms and concession areas. It would likely be used to host figure skating and youth hockey practices and events.

Innovia, which presented the proposal during a City Council meeting on Sept. 30, is looking for a 99-year lease on the property to include the rink, a 120-room hotel and a commercial building. The hotel brand will be determined in the near future, according to information submitted to the city.

Spokane Valley would have a $9.4 million purchase option or could halt the project at any time, according to City Manager John Hohman.

The rink would likely be built on 11 acres north of Sullivan Park, Hohman said, and could generate around $7 million in event-related spending in the community each year.

The goal is to break ground on the new facility next spring, Hohman said. Garco would be the contractor.

The nearest Spokane County rink is the Eagles Ice Arena in Spokane. According to Hohman, the facility would be used by hockey players in the Spokane Americans Youth Hockey Association, which serves 450 children, and the Spokane Chiefs hockey team.

“This is a really big project that would have long-lasting benefits, not only to the city, but to the region,” Hohman said. “Having been around the city since its inception, there have been a few times when we’ve had very exciting news, and a lot of people come and share that moment with us . This was one of those times.”

The donor will be using $44 million to build the facility and is looking to the city to provide a discounted land lease and infrastructure such as water, sewer and road access. The cost to the city is estimated to be about $3 million. Waterline construction already underway to serve Sullivan Park would also support the ice facility.

The proposal for the ice rink was brought to Spokane Valley City Council during a meeting on Sept. 30. About 150 people showed up to the meeting, including kids wearing hockey jerseys. During the public comment portion of the meeting, several people spoke about the lack of ice time available in the Valley.

The project comes just a month before a cross-country facility called the Course will host its first two events in Spokane Valley. The Course was built after the city did a tourism analysis to identify how the city could boost its economy, Hohman said. One of the most popular options for the city to bolster its economy was to build an ice rink, he said.

“The ice rink facility would be in lock step with the policy direction that the council wants to go,” Hohman said. “This would be another anchor venue for drawing in youth sports into the region.”

The proposal for this project was not put together last minute, Innovia Foundation CEO Shelly O’Quinn said. Innovia has been working with Spokane Valley for over a year. Other locations and sites were considered for the ice rink, but Spokane Valley was selected because of its central location.

The rink is a “transformational gift,” O’Quinn said.

During the city council meeting, critics questioned why anyone would donate so much money to build an ice rink in Spokane Valley.

“It’s about the kids,” O’Quinn said. “At the end of the day, it’s about the kids. It’s about ensuring that children in our region have access to ice athletics in our region.”