By CATHY JETT
Fredericksburg-area ice skaters and ice hockey players can breathe a sigh of relief--for now.
The Fredericksburg Ice Park, which closed recently due to financial woes, will be repaired and re-open as an ice park within the next month or two.
"We wanted to be able to accommodate the leagues that were planning to use the ice rink this year," said Sheryl H. Simeck, marketing director for the Rappaport Cos. "We recognized closing the ice park would be a hardship for them."
Rappaport, which has a part interest in Uptown Central Park, took over the building Aug. 3 because the previous owner, Lee Danielson, owed nearly $390,000 in rent, according to a judgment rendered in May in Fredericksburg General District Court.
Rink Management Services Corp., a Mechanicsville firm, was hired to determine the feasibility of renovating the 35,428-square-foot facility.
At a meeting Tuesday night, Rappaport and the Silver Cos., which are the landlords for the ice park, decided to make repairs to the building, including fixing a faulty dehumidifier, and keep it open as an ice park at least until the end of the skating season in April.
"The long-range plan is to continue exploring the options for renovating the ice park," Simeck said yesterday. "We'll be meeting with engineers and architects, and hopefully implementing some sort of renovations after the season."
Fredericksburg Ice Park was the first tenant in Uptown Central Park when it opened in 1999. It offered lessons and free skate time, and became home to the Fredericksburg Falcons, the University of Mary Washington's Ice Hockey Club and the Fredericksburg Figure Skating Club.
A number of those skaters and their parents worried when Fredericksburg Ice Park closed Aug. 3, because Simeck said at the time that Rappaport wanted to reopen it, but was considering other uses for the building.
Lane Jester of Stafford County, whose 8-year-old son has been skating at the ice park since he was 2, said many skaters were counting on playing on ice hockey teams there this fall and possibly winning college scholarships.
If the ice park didn't reopen, they'd be unable to earn a spot on other teams at SkateQuest in Dale City, one of the closest ice parks for area residents, because tryouts were held in May, she said.
"I'm getting up a petition to keep it open, and I'm planning to ask the city if they can do anything," Jester said during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. "In Northern Virginia, the ice parks are run by the counties. It keeps the prices cheaper."
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