REDMOND, OR -- There will be no ice rink in Redmond this winter. The city's Economic Development Manager Chuck Arnold tells KBND News, "Unfortunately, there will not be a rink this winter. It's looking probably like a two-year effort in order to get the resources together to redefine a rink, to create a place that will be a draw to downtown, that will draw tourists, that will draw people into the center of the community to enjoy our shops and restaurants." He says an equipment failure last season led to the realization that the rink had reached the end of its useful life, "We had to start to make a decision as a city and as a community about where we're going to go with this asset for downtown."
The goal is to build a larger, more permanent facility, "The temporary rink that no longer functions could only have 75 skaters on it at a time, and was only 3,000 square feet," says Arnold, "Having it be the size that it was for the community size that we are, was definitely out of scale. So, we're looking at a number of different designs and site opportunities and plans. But right now, we're at the beginning of getting policymakers' and the community's input on what makes sense." He notes a new facility would not be a sports center nor the size of Bend's Pavilion; the goal is to maintain the "boutique" feel of the previous rink, which crews rebuilt every season for almost 15 years at Centennial Park.
A new rink comes with a steep price tag, but Arnold says there are no plans to increase taxes to pay for the project, "It really is looking like it's going to fall in the $5-7 million dollar range, if it is something that we end up pursuing. This would be done, at this point, with resources from the state and other resources in urban renewal and some grants."
City Councilors discussed possible locations this week, including the Centennial Parking Lot, the former Sears store or the soon to be former police station. Arnold hopes to have more details later this fall or winter.
file photo: Downtown Redmond's previous ice rink
