Groundbreaking For Ice Rink Exciting For Community Leaders
Groundbreaking For Ice Rink Exciting For Community Leaders
Posted
Amanda Bridgman-
Groundbreaking For Ice Rink Exciting For Community LeadersWINONA LAKE – Local dignitaries turned some dirt Friday to begin construction of the multi-purpose pavilion and ice rink in Winona Lake.
The Winona Lake Town Council made the project official Tuesday when the town entered into a build operate transfer agreement with Winona Lake Ice LLC.
WL Ice LLC will develop the multi-use pavilion and ice rink, operate it for as little as 48 hours then transfer the entire project over to the town to operate. The site is across from the post office in the grassy field along Park Avenue.
General contractor for the project is Warsaw-based Robinson Construction. Village at Winona Manager Nick Hauck said the original plan was to break ground in January, but the details of the agreement weren’t finalized at that time, so the original plan to be open by Thanksgiving weekend is now pushed out into early 2022. It’s a 10-month build out for the pavilion, fireplace, restrooms and maintenance building, he said.
Estimated cost of the project is $6.5 million, and the town received $1.5 million from the K21 Health Foundation, along with $250,000 from the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Foundation.
Winona Lake Town Manager Craig Allebach said the town will pay for the balance of the project using tax increment finance (TIF) money captured and will rely heavily on community fundraising. A fundraising committee will be put together that will seek partnerships with the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, along with area businesses.
On Friday, Allebach thanked the K21 Health Foundation and Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Foundation for their donations.
“K21 has been very beneficial to the town of Winona Lake. Their $1.5 million really kicked off this project,” Allebach said, also thanking the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Foundation.
“We’re excited to turn dirt on this project today and get it to fruition,” he said.
Hauck said the project really has been in the making for almost 30 years, citing four white paper projects that have been done about an ice rink by Kosciusko Leadership Academy students. The first white paper for a project like this was written in 1996, he said.
“We are super excited. This is a Kosciusko County event. This pavilion is to service everybody,” Hauck said.
Allebach echoed those sentiments and said the town and Village appreciate the partnerships this project has created.
Port Winona and Olive Branch donated refreshments at Friday’s groundbreaking.
Anyone who would like to donate to the project can do so by making out a check to the town of Winona Lake, Council President Rick Swaim said.
