For the week of July 16 - 22, 2003

Anonymous donor
takes chill off ice rink fund-raising

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By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

An anonymous donation has affirmed the Hailey Ice Park Committee’s push to build an enclosed and refrigerated ice rink at Lions Park just across the Big Wood River, just west of Hailey. The donors have promised $250,000 as a matching grant for the project.

"We’ve been speaking with the donors for three or four years, said Ron Fairfax, president of Hailey Ice, Inc., a nonprofit organization. "They said, ‘Come back when you have a little more concrete proposal.’ (Now) They’d like to be the seed money."

The anonymous grant requires that it be matched by other sources. So far, the campaign has collected about $25,000 to $30,000 in about a month of fund-raising. Fairfax says there are other big donors waiting in the wings.

The dream structure--to be called the Wood River Community Ice Rin--would cost between $900,000 and $1 million, and would provide locker rooms, concessions, skate rentals, and administrative offices. Without the extra amenities to get ice in an enclosed arena, the ice promoters need $600,000.

"If we get close this year we will build," said Fairfax. "We need everybody’s support."

The basic structure to enclose the rink would be a concrete and steel truss building, he said. "We need a two month time frame for the basic structure. It goes up pretty quickly."

Lions Park is on county land. The county granted the city permission to manage the property for city recreation. Besides the fund raising campaign, there are other obstacles to the project. City water and sewer do not reach across the river. There is the technical problem that pipes bridging the river would have to be encased and insulated. There is also the challenge of what to do with wastewater.

"The city is looking at park restrooms," said Fairfax, who added that using a Freon system for making ice would reduce the reliance and impact on city utilities.

 

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