Has it really come to this? Closing rinks/arenas?

[VicKevlar]

Read this during morning coffee....hard to believe that two associations skate there as well as two high schools yet distinct possibility of closing(s).

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article ... 58&catid=2

[Can't Never Tried]

That's a sad situation, maybe they could get some dough from the Hollywood stars that were in the Ducks movie

I hope they get it figured out.

[muckandgrind]

New Hope is one of my favorite arenas in the Metro area. I hope they can figure out a way to keep it open.

[tomASS]

Should be a call to action for associations and community groups to be pro-active so you do not to react to situations like this.

[Shiloh]

This is the demise of District 281's sports environment. It is just one more sign that all is not well for hockey in that district. The failed referendum will mean a combining of the high schools sports teams (cooper and armstrong). Other sports will be eliminated.

Cooper Youth Hockey Association experienced such dramatic declines in interest from its area residents that it had to merge into Armstrong or find another merge partner. Together, they have a better chance, but still an up hill battle. The question is, what is the 5 to 10 year realistice estimate of the number of kids in that district that will play hockey. Is it enough to merit the major investment?

New Hope supports a rink that is used by the residents of numerous other cities as part of District 281. It needs help to cover the costs. Perhaps it is time those other cities step up. It may be too much for one aging city, but it certainly shouldn't be too much for all the cities involved, especially Plymouth.

[Can't Never Tried]

This is the demise of District 281's sports environment. It is just one more sign that all is not well for hockey in that district. The failed referendum will mean a combining of the high schools sports teams (cooper and armstrong). Other sports will be eliminated.

Cooper Youth Hockey Association experienced such dramatic declines in interest from its area residents that it had to merge into Armstrong or find another merge partner. Together, they have a better chance, but still an up hill battle. The question is, what is the 5 to 10 year realistice estimate of the number of kids in that district that will play hockey. Is it enough to merit the major investment?

New Hope supports a rink that is used by the residents of numerous other cities as part of District 281. It needs help to cover the costs. Perhaps it is time those other cities step up. It may be too much for one aging city, but it certainly shouldn't be too much for all the cities involved, especially Plymouth.

Include:
Crystal, Golden Valley, and Robbinsdale too!

[DMom]

New Hope is one of my favorite arenas in the Metro area. I hope they can figure out a way to keep it open.

It's always been my favorite metro arena, I always ask my kids if they would be willing to move there to skate. The only place I can watch a hockey game in short sleeves.

Maybe MH could set up a year round tier one team based out of New Hope. If this site is any indication, the place would be packed year round.

[O-townClown]

I think one of the things that works against New Hope is the fact most Twin City area arenas are municipally owned. That makes it harder to raise the rates for ice.

What is the going rate for in-season ice? $175 to 200 still, or is it more?

All that said, I'm sure the rink won't close. This seems premature. In order to highlight the issue the Mayor needs to lay it out. If the money isn't raised the rink will have to close.

[finance_gal]

For years New Hope Arena was one of the better ones in the Twin Cities, The sheets of ice were always full, they made a good chunk of money from the Mighty Ducks movie, and all that profit went back into the general fund. now the arena is getting older and things need to be replaced and we hear whining that there isn't any money, Well take a page from some of the smaller associations and make it work.

If The city of New Hope wants to dump the arena then they should give it to the association or the VFW or someone who cares about hockey and I guarentee someone will be able to come up with some creative way to make it work.

I think a more important question is how can smaller and older comunitties make a go of it and New Hope can't? How has Bernie Mc Bain been able to to do alright financially buying his own arena and paying property taxes on it and New Hope can't?

What they need in New hope is someone with some passion for hockey to be given the reins and let them run with it and maybe there will be some NEW HOPE for this arena problem

[Can't Never Tried]

I think one of the things that works against New Hope is the fact most Twin City area arenas are municipally owned. That makes it harder to raise the rates for ice.

What is the going rate for in-season ice? $175 to 200 still, or is it more?

All that said, I'm sure the rink won't close. This seems premature. In order to highlight the issue the Mayor needs to lay it out. If the money isn't raised the rink will have to close.

I think $175 is close maybe a tad more.

What I wonder is what commitment is being made to the facility by the youth program and the HS programs? besides purchasing ice?

I know in Rogers the youth have pledged for 20 yrs and made good so far of at least $65K/yr and it may be more, and the HS boosters have made the same commitment of $20k/yr, that was so we could get an arena.
I would think that this could be done at a much lesser pain factor in Armstrong /Cooper program as I believe they have greater #'s.
Bottom line is the users will have to be the ones that pay, especially in tight times as we have today, if the city is matching 25% I'd get going if I were them, your not going to get a bigger commitment on a break even at best.... public facility.

[goldy313]

.
If The city of New Hope wants to dump the arena then they should give it to the association or the VFW or someone who cares about hockey and I guarentee someone will be able to come up with some creative way to make it work.

I think a more important question is how can smaller and older comunitties make a go of it and New Hope can't? How has Bernie Mc Bain been able to to do alright financially buying his own arena and paying property taxes on it and New Hope can't?

It's very doubtfull a youth hockey association can pay the money needed to upgrade and maitain a facility like this. Hockey is in a viscous cycle right now; 1) Municipalities have to make a budget, ice rinks while not revenue neutral have to be econimically viable at a certain loss, most aren't so....2) The municipalities have to raise rates to keep the loss at an agreeable level.....3) In turn the people who rent ice have to up their costs, it's one thing for a men's league team to pay an additional $10 per player over the course of a season another for a youth hockey association to raise rates by $100 or more per player...4) By increasing sign up fees youth hockey associations lose players....5) Losing players leads to a) less ice rental which means the city has to increase rates or b) The same amount of ice is bought but the youth hockey association has to charge even more to it's players because they're speading the costs out among fewer players. Both end up costing the association players.

Unfortunatly hockey is becoming an economically exclusive sport. By becoming this there becomes less sympathy in the community to increase taxes for an ice rink. You don't see communities building gymnastic training centers or polo grounds, luckily hockey and figure skating have a tradition in Minnesota which so far is enough to keep communities spending money on rinks. A few years ago Minnesota had a golf course building boom now there is an over saturation of courses, I think the same thing happened in ice rinks. We built more than we can afford to keep running given the numbers of kids using the rinks. Due to this communities have to decide at what point isn't having a rink, or in this case two rinks justifiable and at what point does funding an ice rink become welfare for the rich and their kids playing hockey?

Bernie has something new and because of that he is gaining interest and making a go of his rink. Much like a gymnastics center he is lucky that as long as there are enough people willing to pay his prices he'll do alright, however most private rinks fail because there is an inherit loss in such a facility. My guess is eventually he'll sell his entire operation because it won't be new anymore.

[Can't Never Tried]

.
If The city of New Hope wants to dump the arena then they should give it to the association or the VFW or someone who cares about hockey and I guarentee someone will be able to come up with some creative way to make it work.

I think a more important question is how can smaller and older comunitties make a go of it and New Hope can't? How has Bernie Mc Bain been able to to do alright financially buying his own arena and paying property taxes on it and New Hope can't?

It's very doubtfull a youth hockey association can pay the money needed to upgrade and maitain a facility like this. Hockey is in a viscous cycle right now; 1) Municipalities have to make a budget, ice rinks while not revenue neutral have to be econimically viable at a certain loss, most aren't so....2) The municipalities have to raise rates to keep the loss at an agreeable level.....3) In turn the people who rent ice have to up their costs, it's one thing for a men's league team to pay an additional $10 per player over the course of a season another for a youth hockey association to raise rates by $100 or more per player...4) By increasing sign up fees youth hockey associations lose players....5) Losing players leads to a) less ice rental which means the city has to increase rates or b) The same amount of ice is bought but the youth hockey association has to charge even more to it's players because they're speading the costs out among fewer players. Both end up costing the association players.

Unfortunatly hockey is becoming an economically exclusive sport. By becoming this there becomes less sympathy in the community to increase taxes for an ice rink. You don't see communities building gymnastic training centers or polo grounds, luckily hockey and figure skating have a tradition in Minnesota which so far is enough to keep communities spending money on rinks. A few years ago Minnesota had a golf course building boom now there is an over saturation of courses, I think the same thing happened in ice rinks. We built more than we can afford to keep running given the numbers of kids using the rinks. Due to this communities have to decide at what point isn't having a rink, or in this case two rinks justifiable and at what point does funding an ice rink become welfare for the rich and their kids playing hockey?

Bernie has something new and because of that he is gaining interest and making a go of his rink. Much like a gymnastics center he is lucky that as long as there are enough people willing to pay his prices he'll do alright, however most private rinks fail because there is an inherit loss in such a facility. My guess is eventually he'll sell his entire operation because it won't be new anymore.

I'm sure he'll find some quack to buy it !

[tomASS]

I'm sure he'll find some quack to buy it !

Oh well done, that is top shelf stuff on a Saturday morning

[council member retired]

i would believe Plymouth/Wayzata or even Maple Grove or Rogers would be a candidate to buy.... I know that if BIG was looking to move one back in the day B'ville or EP, Edina would look at a pre existing structure for purchase.