Fremont Twp. considers year-round ice rink

Even in the midst of a mid-July hot spell, skating on synthetic ice could be a viable outdoor activity under a plan being considered by Fremont Township.

"It's quite a concept. It's the closest thing to real ice you can find," said Al Stensrud, a township resident whose quest for a backyard rink snowballed into a proposal for a facility estimated at more than $1.3 million.

Township officials are considering a plan to build a 60-foot by 120-foot rink on 7 acres the township owns at Erhart and Fremont Center roads near the township office. In comparison, a regulation National Hockey League rink is 85-feet by 200-feet.

The ice would be surrounded by boards and glass, like a typical hockey rink but would not be inside a building. Instead a large roof would cover the facility as a shelter.

"It's a covered outdoor facility. You can skate on it year round," said Eric Schneider, general manager and hockey director at the Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills.

Glacier uses the synthetic surface, known as XTRAICE, in its training area and has partnered with Stensrud, a distributor of the product, in making the pitch.

"Synthetic ice has been around a long time but the problem has always been the drag rate," Schneider said. The new product, which is used by the Florida Panthers at its training facility, has virtually no drag, he added.

"It's a slick product," he said. "It blew everybody away at the hockey expo in Minnesota last spring."

Glacier would provide programming at the new rink, but the facility would be owned by the township.

"They need to see if it's a viable project in terms of dollars and cents," Schneider said.

While the boards and glass would be donated, the township would be responsible for the bulk of the cost. Corporate sponsorships, grants and donations would be sought if the plan proceeds.

"This would be a revenue generating facility," said Chic Martin, a township trustee and member of the parks committee. "We want to make sure the costs are covered."

Martin said an ice rink ranked fifth among priorities of township residents in a survey taken five years ago. The township since has been able to provide other items on the list, including sports fields and a playground, and water parks abound in nearby communities. "The ice rink was number five and it's amazing we're at that position," he said.

First up will be a meeting with Lake County officials to determine what would be needed to make the site usable for this purpose and what the costs would be.

"There's still a lot of research that has to be done here," Martin said.

The township board wants to see more specific numbers regarding costs but its interest has been piqued, according to Pete Tekampe, township supervisor.

"The board has an open mind on the situation," he said. "We're just going to see what happens."