WATERTOWN, S.D. (KELO.com) — Hopes of building a new multi-purpose ice arena in Watertown got a big boost yesterday. Councilor Ried Holien, the chair of the local Ice Arena Committee says a business has pledged to donate $1 million to the project.
“We are a million dollars closer to making this happen, so this is fantastic,” Holien said. “This shows how the community, the business leaders, and everyone is really rallying behind this to see that this happens.”
The Watertown Hockey Association last month committed to raising a minimum $2 million toward the arena, and the Watertown Figure Skate Club has pledged $750,000 toward the project. In each case, some of the money would be cash, and some in the form of in-kind donations.
A new two-sheet ice arena has been estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $15-17 million.
Holien said the committee is deciding between three sites, and the former Metz Bakery site in the downtown area is still, “in play.” He would not publicly identify the other two sites, but says the Watertown Mall location is not one of them.
(Mike Tanner, KWAT, contributed this report.)
