SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — The city of Spokane Valley could soon be home to a new indoor ice rink as part of the city's new tourism strategy.
The ice rink is one of the first proposed attractions for the city's tourism strategy, which will also consider other sports venues and attractions. The city is in the early stages of exploring whether there is enough demand to support it.
Currently, the only option for indoor ice skating in Spokane is Eagles Ice Arena, something the arena's skating director Susannah Hall believes is surprising.
"It is baffling though that we are in a cold climate and there is not a ton of awareness on the sport," Hall said.
A third-party consulting firm told the city council it could attract people to the area.
"If ice rinks aren't readily available in the greater area and if its an asset that can be leveraged for positive economic impact then its going to be in consideration," said Emily Estes-Cross, the public information officer for the city of Spokane Valley.
The consulting firm told the city a two-sheet indoor ice rink could cost about $50 million. There is currently no location in mind since the proposal for the ice rink is in its preliminary phase.
"Anytime you start to get serious about whether you're going to include something in your strategy and implement it, you need to look at where the funding is going to come from," Estes-Cross said. "And that hasn't been identified yet."
Hall said she hopes the project gets approved sooner than later.
"We love exposure for the sport. There's opportunity for growth and advancement," she said. "We encourage opportunities for athletes of all ages and disciplines to grow their passion for the sport."
Officials with Spokane Valley said there's not yet a timeline for a new ice rink.
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