When freshman Mary Gleason heard about the new outdoor ice rink at the Rec Center, she felt
excited.

According to St. Louis Park Hockey Association (SLPHA) President Paul Wandmacher, for $8.3 million, the Rec Center is building an outdoor skating rink.

Wandmacher said SLPHA committed to contribute $2 million to the project. He said the city will provide the rest of the funding.

The project was initially projected to cost $5 million, but the cost of the roof material raised the price.

Gleason said she finds the cost significant and thinks SLPHA should contribute more.

“($6.3 million) is a lot of money for people to be spending on something that won’t affect them at all,” Gleason said. “The Hockey Association should be paying for the majority of the rink beause they are the ones that are going to use it.”

According to Wandmacher, the rink will be the third of its kind in the metro area.

St. Louis Park will add an outdoor rink they hope provides more ice time for hockey players.

“All of the teams will be able to get more ice time and, hopefully, we will be able to host some youth tournaments in the future,” Wandmacher said.

City Council member Sue Sanger said the new rink will be beneficial to only a select part of the
ity’s population.

“The group that’s in favor are people who have one or more members of their family playing hockey, whereas the people who are upset are a much more diverse cross section of the community,” Sanger said.

Wandmacher said during the summer months, the rink will be used for other city events, allowing impact on a more diverse population in the community.

“Turf will be put down so that it can be used for lacrosse, baseball and soccer, as well as other community events like the ice cream social, a farmers’ market and outdoor music,” Wandmacher said.

Sanger said she feels upset about how funding for this project passed the City Council because the community did not assess its need for the facility.

“The public did not have the chance to weigh into the decision making process,” Sanger said. “We don’t know that the facility will be used during the warmer eight months of the year because no one ever did a needs assessment to figure.”

Gleason said she thinks the new rink will draw in younger players.

“It is going to make kids more motivated to play hockey once they see the cool new rink,” Gleason said. “They will have a ton of fun and want to keep playing hockey.”

Wandmacher estimates the ice rink will be available for use by Jan. 1.