Fundraiser aims to aid ice rink effort

PONDERAY — As it works toward a permanent, all-season ice rink, North Idaho Ice is working to set up a temporary rink to kick its efforts off. 

Toward that end, North Idaho Ice Corp. is holding a fundraiser aimed at helping turn those efforts from dreams to reality.

“We’re looking forward to a great night geared towards raising money for this awesome new community amenity which will open in Ponderay in November 2024,” officials said. 

A fundraiser will be hosted to support the project Saturday, June 1. This event will be held at the Ponderay Events Center on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. and is catered by Ivano’s. There will be a silent auction with gift baskets from local businesses, a dessert auction, and a live auction.

An ice rink has been a goal for many for years and has been incorporated into the second phase of the Field of Dreams as part of a collaboration between the city of Ponderay and NIICE. Talk of an ice rink for Bonner County has happened for years, with plans to originally put the building on the piece of property between the Bonner County Fairgrounds and the Bonner County Jail. However, due to continued arguments between county officials, that idea was shuttered and, for a while, it seemed as if the idea would never happen.

However, Ponderay officials worked closely with NIICE staff to bring that dream back to life and recently implemented those plans into the project’s official timeline.

In April, a deposit was provided for a 130-by-80-foot outdoor chilled rink for the upcoming fall/winter season, NIICE officials said on the group’s website. Included in the deposit are arrangements for a Zamboni, a chiller, and 300 pairs of rental skates.

The city of Ponderay has provided a temporary location at the corner of Highway 200 and Kootenai Cutoff. The total purchase is expected to cost $160,000, but organizers anticipate an additional $40,000 in site preparation will be needed, which would include access, parking, and level grade for the ice sheet.

“Typical rental fees for seasonal rinks run $75-80 thousand per season,” officials said on the website. “We felt that outright purchase made better sense and minimizes wasted resources. A ‘rent to own’ type of agreement was entered into to make this possible … The seasonal rink that is to be set up this fall will become an ancillary rink once the larger, four-season rink is completed.”

At first, officials expect the arena to remain open and uncovered during the completion of the first phase, which will cost an estimated $1.5-$2 million. While many materials have already been provided or purchased, NIICE staff said the group is still working to fund the concrete foundation that will need to be completed before anything else can be done.

A second phase of the ice rink will see a steel structure covering the arena to prevent negative impacts from weather and precipitation. A third phase will completely enclose the rink, allowing guests to use it during all types of weather, and all year round. There are currently no time estimates for when the second or third phases will be completed.

Information: bit.ly/4eakWPg