Talk is increasing about the possibility of making Saint Joseph’s municipal ice arena year round. City Commissioners on Monday heard from Stacy Loar-Porter, President of the Berrien Area Hockey Association, who said that she’s received offers from local groups about raising money for such a project, but first the city would have to sign off on it. Porter says hockey is a growing sport, and plenty of locals just go elsewhere to play.
“We lose a lot of the little kids to South Bend because they can learn to skate and learn to play in the fall months,” Loar-Porter said. “August, September, October. We don’t even have ice then. They go there, they get started on the program, and they tend not to return to the program.”
Making the ice arena year-round would require more than just building walls. City Manager John Hodgson says it would require expensive equipment and possible changes to the building’s layout, which would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, he noted the arena was built to make such changes possible. City commissioners said they don’t think having taxpayers cover such a project would be the right move, but advised the city manager to consult John and Dede Howard, and then get back to them and to BAHA Hockey. Hodgson says it’s possible BAHA and the city could work together on a fundraiser at some point in the future.
