Help Save the Ice Rink

I'm posting this as a community service:

Hello Everyone,

Ok now is the time; we're down to the wire here on the City, County and Fair Board issues. We've held off, and have been careful not to ask for too much from all you good people. Now, We need your help.

Please forward this to everyone you know that cares about the Ice Rink!

We need to contact all of these people, in any way shape or form. Letters to the editor of the newspaper would be good too. These people have been dragging their feet on the Ice Rink for far too long, and we need a decision, and we need it now. You need to let these people know that you are their constituents, and are tired of this. THIS IS AN AMAZING THING FOR OUR KIDS, OUR HEALTH, AND OUR ECONOMY!! Where is the downside?

The ice rink has been here for 5 years; Last year we had 29,000 skater visits; we have 84 folks in our Learn to Skate Program: a record number.

The University of Idaho has 42 students in a skating class here. That would quadruple if we could enclose our rink. If we could enclose our rink, we'd have taken care of the 2 or 3 people who have noise issues with us. We're trying to build our enclosed rink because we are, and have been a very good neighbor. But we also have no more hours to give. We can't operate after 9:00 at night for hockey or skating with music. Almost.

Every night, we have 30 to 40 college/high school kids out here skating with no music. It's a non alcoholic venue, well lit, well supervised.

Could you imagine how many would be here if we had some great tunes, at a reasonable volume? THERE'S NO WHERE ELSE TO GO FOR THESE KIDS!!

We cost this town and County nothing. THIS IS A GIFT! We pay $5,000 per year to the Fairgrounds for rent. The aquatics center costs the city somewhere around $50,000 per year-- that's a loss! If we ever have a loss, we get a loan, at our own expense. We still owe over $250,000 from original investment. We could be paying that down if we could enclose and get some longer hours.

We could have hockey tournaments... tell your friends who own businesses, that we have about 90 kids in an average tournament: that's at LEAST 90 motel rooms for two nights, and all the food and shopping and movies between games that go along with those 90 kids... We could expand our sheet of ice so that University of Idaho Men's and Women's teams and WSU men's and women's teams could have their games HERE, instead of Coeur D'Alene and Spokane!! And that's another event for kids AND adults!!

There is a lot more information, and NO DOWNSIDE to this rink!

Send your letters to the editor, as part of your email, no attachments, and less than 300 words. Pick from these fun facts something you'd like to focus on, because you'll get bogged down in a long letter. Make it short, and positive, but make it clear.

The City's website is: www.ci.moscow.id.us ; find the council and city staff there, and email and call them. They need to hear from you. Most places, the CITY can't do enough for their rink. Where is our help?

The Fairgrounds number is: 883-5722. They don't think we serve the county enough. Let them know that Moscow is part of the county, and that lots of people from the county come in to skate. 4H is Great, but we can have both, and this will be a building that will be used by the Fair and the County in the summer. A building that we will find donors and loans to pay for. No taxes, no cost to anyone.

Here is the County Commissioner's information:

Commissioners: Chair Jack Nelson jnelson@latah.id.us
Jennifer Barrett jbarrett@latah.id.us
Tom S. Stroschein tstroschein@latah.id.us
Deputy Clerk of the Board/: Administrative Assistant

Phone: (208) 883-7208
FAX: (208) 883-2280
E-mail: bocc@latah.id.us
Location: Latah County Courthouse <../Map.htm> Room 3B

Thanks. we need your help.

Alan Brown
Executive Director
Rotary Veterans Memorial Pavilion
aka Palouse Ice Rink
208.882.7188