Don’t give up on Ice Sports Wichita

At its Tuesday meeting, the Wichita City Council is expected to consider putting another $25,000 into Ice Sports Wichita, on top of $50,000 approved in May. City staff appears to have made good efforts to stabilize the troubled rink, but more cash is needed due to difficulty terminating the management contract with Canlan Ice Sports, the cancellation of a youth hockey tournament in May, the bankruptcy of tenant Wichita Thunder, and a failure of the refrigeration plant and compressor. Clearly, lousy luck is making a bad situation worse. But the city needs to keep trying to right the rink’s course and find it capable new management. This is a precious community asset that should have a bright future as part of a reinvented downtown.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

6 Comments

  1. Joe Williams
    Posted July 11, 2005 at 10:41 am | Permalink

    I know we can get through this, but it is making me a bit sad to see some great buildings undergoing financial problems. Ice Sports, Mid-America Indian Center, and now Exploration Place.

    Everybody keeps on saying that we need innovation and good leadership at these facilites to make them revenue independent. I also read that they are still using 9/11 as an excuse for the decrease in visitors.

    I need to find a way to help them. I really want to help.

  2. James
    Posted July 11, 2005 at 11:38 pm | Permalink

    Who is supervising the operation now? Hopefully, not the same group, with their heads in the sand, that stood by while this became a financial fiasco.

    What is it, about this city, when they believe all the problems can be solved by writing another check? Why not investigate; appoint someone accountable to report to the city on a monthly basis. Instead of waiting months, or years. And then saying, Opps, We have a problem!

  3. Ron Southern
    Posted July 12, 2005 at 10:25 pm | Permalink

    Rhonda, once the arena tax has served its purpose and we have a new arena to support, we can simply use the sales tax to fund exploration place, indian center, ice rink, childrens museum,etc,etc.We will have to increase it to 2 or 3 cents but hey, its just taxpayers money!

  4. joseph
    Posted July 13, 2005 at 10:39 am | Permalink

    The failed attempts of all the local government-sponsored venues is a textbook study of the intrinsic stupidity of government-sponsored enterprises. We will have the pleasure of adding the arena and Goose Mountain to the list in a few years.

    These things are always sold by claiming that it will keep people here, bring people in, or bring in more business. My guess is that Sam’s Club has done more of this, all by itself, than all the local-government white elephants combined.

    I came to Wichita for a job, and I find that the local governments’ attempts to act biggish are so pathetic that they do nothing to improve our image or quality of life. Exploration Place, in particular, is full of half-baked and bad ideas, many of which don’t work, work badly, or are too simple-minded to warrant a second thought, let alone a high $ exhibit.

    We can access better things on TV and the Internet, and the information changes very fast. More concrete dinosaurs downtown are not the answer.

    If private enterprise isn’t interested in footing the entire bill for these things, then they are not worth doing.

  5. J R
    Posted July 13, 2005 at 11:25 pm | Permalink

    I have been to exploration place 9 times with my son. We still have yet to experience every part of what it has to teach.I’ve not been to the ice rink. But it is nice to have if we want to go.Gander Mountain caters to interests I do not share.I did not vote for the arena. I doubt I could afford to attend an event there.Joseph I cannot imagine why you would come here. The employment opportunities are dismal. More importanty, the public venues are few, far between, and poorly funded. I know whereof I speak. I was born and raised in this profit centered town.Some things are more important than profit. ( I could get hung for even suggesting that in this burg) Exploration place is a world class science facility that is the second biggest attended forum in this otherwise beknighted town. It deserves public support if even only in the hope that it will keep a few of the more enlightened here and draw a few in. There is little other reason to visit, or remain in this nickel squeezing, provincial, conservative wasteland of corporate greed.

  6. Dave Lovett
    Posted December 27, 2005 at 8:41 pm | Permalink

    Out of towner observations:

    It’s too late now, but Ice Sports is a little too grand. Two ice surfaces, two floors, an elevator, a large eating area….

    I’m a former Wichita resident but live in San Diego now. San Diego has 4 year-round rinks. Only one has a two surfaces, and the most successful rink has one surface, and only vending machines for hungry skaters. But they have an aggressive marketing program; scout and YMCA groups crowd the public sessions all summer. They do pay well for key people. (No, I don’t work there, but my daughter skates there.)

    Anyway, a rink has to be run as a business. If it were, it might even be successful.