Cedar City Ice Rink In Danger Of Closing Down
Feb 25, 2020, 11:27 AM | Updated: Feb 27, 2020, 3:51 pm
CEDAR CITY, Utah – The future of a popular skating rink in Cedar City may be on thin ice if rink managers cannot secure funding for a new facility and agree to terms with city leaders.
The Glacier Ice Rink currently sits on city property outside the Cedar City Aquatic Center that was originally earmarked for a multipurpose gymnasium. The site was not in use when the ice rink was first looking for space, and city leaders said they agreed to a temporary arrangement to use the site.
In November, the city council voted to move forward with the gymnasium, requiring a relocation for the ice rink after August 2021 when lease at the temporary location was scheduled to expire.
Mayor Maile Wilson said another site on the same property was identified for use by Glacier. She said the city also committed $2.85 million to help fund the new ice rink pavilion at the other spot.
Renderings were created and a lease contract was drafted. Negotiations fell apart when the rink’s owners said they weren’t able to raise the additional funds needed for the new facility.
Wilson said the city was moving forward with plans for the gymnasium – a plan that was promised to the public when the center was first built.
The rink’s owners said more than 18,000 skaters use the facility each season, and there isn’t another like it between Provo and Las Vegas.
“I hope they realize what is at stake for the community that uses it,” said Glacier President Dallin Staheli. “For all of the citizens and members of the community that love this rink and have grown to depend on it for the activities they love.”
City officials said if The Glacier wants to build a permanent facility, they will not be able to use the current temporary location.
