With the help of the City of Ponderay and local donations, NIICE has initiated the building of a permanent ice arena at the Field of Dreams. Land has been acquired, initial foundation work, as well as infrastructure to the facility are being provided through the Ponderay Local Option Tax. Dasher boards and glass have been purchased. This is progress and represents many of the hard goods needed to complete phase one of our plan; a naturally chilled ice rink for the winter of 2024/25.
Since the inception of our organization, we have been focused on bringing an attainable, affordable, and achievable ice surface to Bonner County. We've researched many possibilities and have what we feel is the best solution...
Envisioned is an outdoor rink that can be erected in the Fall of 2024. This includes a rink, boards, a chiller, a zamboni, and 300 pairs of rental skates. It will be a seasonal, ancillary rink. This fills an immediate need while a full-size rink is designed and built on the Field of Dreams. Once the Field of Dreams is up and running, this smaller, ancillary rink will be moved to its permanent location adjacent to the main rink. This will allow for increased capacity at the holidays as well as greater access for the public.
Estimate Total 165 - 200K
*Purchased by the City of Ponderay for use at the Field of Dreams
At this point, the first and second phases of this project have been combined. Through the use of a chilling unit, there will be increased days available to skate through consistent ice temperature and better ice quality. This requires a significant investment, but several needs have been completed. The land, dirt work, infrastructure, are being provided through the City of Ponderay and the Field of Dreams funded through LOT taxes. Our goal is to have a rink of this type ready for use in the Fall/Winter. Based on previous weather patterns, the ice will be useable for 35-50 days per season.
Estimate Total 1.5 - 2.0M
*Purchased by the City of Ponderay for use at the Field of Dreams
Temperature as well as precipitation both negatively impact the ice. In phase 2 we will focus once again on increasing the number of usable days through putting a cover over the ice surface keeping precipitation away. The entire structure consists of a modular design. This will allow for the addition of walls, locker rooms, foyer, restrooms, concessions as deemed appropriate. The estimates included are for a steel structure without amenities.
Chillers and coverings to keep the sun off the ice are important steps toward maintaining and providing skateable ice. The final step in this project is to fully enclose a rink which will control the environment fully and allow for year-round skating opportunities. We are currently researching designs that can best fulfill these needs as well as those of the City of Ponderay and the Field of Dreams Facility.
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