A plan that would remove a public ice rink and replace it with three basketball courts is creating angst in Brooklyn Park, where city officials are rethinking how the community center can best serve residents.
The north metro city is looking to spend up to $15 million to renovate the 40-year-old Community Activity Center and add gym space — a top priority since 2018 when voters approved a $26 million park bond.
To do that, a leading proposal calls for removing one of two ice sheets and converting it into space for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and special events. The community center, built in 1983 and expanded four times since, has one gym but shares the space with the Minnesota National Guard.
This spring, the city secured $5 million in state bonding money specifically tied to such a conversion.
That concerns Sarah Fercho with Three Rivers Figure Skating Club, the biggest user of ice time at Rink 1. Fercho said many groups who use the rink are just now hearing about the proposal to remove it, and feel their concerns and needs are not being considered.
This week, Fercho submitted a petition to the City Council with more than 800 signatures from people who want to save the rink.
"We are not against the use of courts, but it feels like they pitted us against each other, forcing the community to say we prefer basketball over ice sports," she said. "We would like to see more than one proposal."
The idea of ripping out an ice sheet that is booked solid is also a head scratcher for Totino Grace High School Activities Director Mike Smith. The private high school is the fifth-largest buyer of ice time on Rink 1, and the girls' and boys' hockey teams would be displaced if the community center went to one rink, he said.