The new White Park skate house project has secured half the money it needs.
Chris Brown, chairman of the Black Ice Pond Hockey tournament board and member of the skate house committee, said the committee has raised more than $200,000 in private donations for the project. That’s in addition to the roughly $100,000 Black Ice has donated to the cause since the hockey tournament started eight years ago.
Brown said a large piece of the fundraising is expected to come from granite pavers that will include engraved names. The pavers can be purchased for a donation between $500 and $1,000. About 15 have been sold, and they’re hoping to sell at least 200, he said.
The park has been without a skate house for over a decade; the old one sat empty due to health and safety concerns related to moisture. The former structure was demolished earlier this year.
The $1.15 million project is to be funded half through city dollars and half through private donations. Concord’s City Council approved the money in June.
At 2,285 square feet, the planned skate house is actually smaller than the current skate house’s 2,758 square feet, but the new two-story building would also boast a 1,110-square-foot patio. The new facility will also offer public restrooms, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a snack bar and a rental shop for ice skates. The second floor will be used for storage.
And though the exposed basement of the former structure has been bared to the elements for some time now, Brown said the patio and outdoor fire portion of the building should be complete by mid-winter – possibly in time for the next Black Ice tournament.