(Spirit Lake)– The Spirit Lake city council Tuesday heard from a group that wants to build a 2.7 million dollar indoor ice arena on 3.2 acres of land they’ve been given adjacent to the Bedell Family YMCA.
There’s a catch, though. Proponents of the facility say they have to have it constructed in two years, or they’ll lose the land.
They say such a facility would not only be utilized for youth hockey, but could also be utilized for figure skating, in-line skating, spring athletic practices, equestrian, and soccer…to name a few.
Brian Sudbrink, one of those backing the project, says it would fit in nicely with the original vision of the YMCA when it was first built.
Of the 2.7 million dollars needed, Mitch Brandt, another proponent of the proposed project, says they’ve raised about 147-thousand dollars so far. He says they’re hoping to get 300-thousand dollars in city and county support within roughly a 40-mile radius of Spirit Lake, but within Iowa only, as a number of similar facilities already exist across the border in Worthington and Windom, Minnesota. The remainder of the funding is intended to come from a Vision Iowa Grant the group plans to apply for, along with various sponsorships.
The group is requesting 190-thousand dollars over two years beginning with the upcoming fiscal year’s budget from Spirit Lake to help cover initial construction costs, along with an additional 19-thousand dollars over three years, or a little more than six thousand dollars a year, for operating support after the facility opens.
The council took no action on the group’s request, saying they would consider it during upcoming budget talks.
