Mundelein roller rink set to reopen with new name, management

A shuttered roller rink in Mundelein is set to be reborn under a new name with new management in April.

Plans for a newly renovated rink, to be called Just for Fun 2, are nearing final approval from village officials.

The business will be located in the Mundelein Shopping Center at 139 N. Seymour Ave., the site of the former Hot Wheels Roller Rink.

The rink will be run by Spring Grove residents Lisa Duncan and Toby Tagliapietra. The duo has operated the original Just for Fun in McHenry since 2001.

That rink has been around since the 1930s.

“We are excited,” Duncan said of the new venture. She hopes the rink will open to the public April 13.

In addition to traditional public skating, the new Mundelein rink could host private parties, scouting and camp events and park district activities, according to a village memo.

Duncan and Tagliapietra have proposed holding roller-hockey training camps at the rink, too.

Duncan used to work at Hot Wheels, and Tagliapietra skated there as a kid.

Duncan, a lifelong skater, said they decided to reopen the rink a few months ago after going there to pick up used skating equipment.

They were shocked by the rink’s disrepair. Water from a leaky roof had damaged the floor, Duncan said, leaving craters the size of people.

Those have all been repaired. In fact, the skating surface has been replaced, a game room has been added and a new sound system has been installed, among other improvements.

No alcohol will be served, nor will alcoholic beverages be allowed on the property.

“It’s cheap, family entertainment,” Duncan said.

Ed Sullivan is among the village trustees supporting the plan.

“I think it’s an activity that’s good to have,” he said. “There’s a demand for skating.”

The village board this week authorized its staff to create an ordinance that would allow Just for Fun 2 to operate at the Seymour Avenue address.

A permit is needed because the business is considered recreational. The area is zoned for commercial operations.

A final vote is expected April 9.