KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A feasibility study finds Kalamazoo could be three ice rinks short of community need.
Kalamazoo's ice sports community — from figure skaters and recreational hockey players to curlers — could face a serious shortage of ice time within two years.
That's according to a new feasibility study commissioned by Discover Kalamazoo and local ice sports groups.
The study examined what would happen if both the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo and Lawson Ice Arena on Western Michigan University's campus were to close.
Its conclusion: the community would be three ice rinks short of what is needed for sports to continue at their current capacity.
The concern has been building for months. It started when local rink Wings West announced it was closing. Since then, a private company has agreed to purchase that rink, keeping it open, but broader questions about the future of ice space in Kalamazoo remain.
Both the Kalamazoo Wings and Western Michigan University's Broncos hockey teams are set to move to the new Kalamazoo Event Center downtown by 2027, leaving the future of their current home rinks uncertain.
The Wings Event Center is currently home to Kalamazoo Wings hockey, while Lawson Arena is where the Broncos play. Lawson Arena is also earmarked for divestment from WMU, according to the university's master plan.
Jane Ghosh, CEO of Discover Kalamazoo, said the findings are clear.
"We need more ice. Two years from now, if we don't solve this problem, we're not going to have enough ice for the local community. We're not going to have enough ice to host tournaments. If we don't have enough ice to host tournaments, we're not going to be able to support and sustain local businesses and jobs that rely on that visitor spending," Ghosh said.
For families like Morgan King's, the stakes are personal.
"Absolutely, they love it. When they're not on the ice, they're rollerblading. They're trying to find any way they can to be ice skating in any shape way or form," King said.
The study outlines two primary options for addressing the shortage.
One would involve repurposing the Wings Event Center, which has three rinks, at an estimated cost of around $10 million.
The other would be constructing an entirely new, three-sheet facility at an estimated cost of $53 million. According to the study, a new facility of that scale could generate $16 million annually in local economic output.
Ghosh said the investment would be worth it.
"We need it. We're going to have to do it. And actually, if we do it, once we do it, it will pay for itself," Ghosh said.
Frank Noonan of the South Central High School Hockey League said the community is actively looking for partners to make it happen.
"We're looking for investors. We're looking for municipal partners. We're hoping someone is going to help us out here," Noonan said.
"Ideally, two years from now we'd have a new three sheet facility," Noonan said.
The urgency is especially acute for the curling community, which is already without a home.
The study estimates that a curling-specific facility could generate $4 million a year in economic output.
Potential locations identified for a new facility, whether it be for curling, or for other ice sports, include an area near Crossroads Mall or near the existing Wings Event Center.
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