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Glenview Community Ice Center set to celebrate post-renovation grand reopening

After a 15-month, $30.3 million renovation, staff at the Glenview Community Ice Center and Glenview Park District employees are excited to host the grand reopening of the facility Saturday with a ribbon cutting and a variety of free activities.

The Ice Center, 1851 Landwehr Road, has been transformed into a modern facility and is barely recognizable when compared to both its exterior and interior appearance prior to the renovation.

An NHL-sized, 200-by-85-foot ice rink with spectator seating for 550 and six adjacent locker rooms, a dry land training room, a community room, and a full-service restaurant with seating for 50 and a Grab and Go Cafe are among the additions to the facility. The restaurant overlooks the ice surfaces.

An aesthetic and practical feature of the new rink is the inclusion of large translucent windows on the north wall decorated with silhouettes of figures competing in ice sports that let in natural light from outside.

The original ice rink, which has spectator seating for 150, and a 90-by-60-foot studio rink, were retained and included in the renovation. Built in 1972, the original NHL-sized rink and the studio rink were part of a smaller-scale renovation in 2008.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours will be limited to 50 people. The event, however, including the tours, also will be livestreamed on the facility's Facebook page: facebook.com/GlenviewCommunityIceCenter.

"Because we weren't able to do a traditional grand opening event, we are having a month of grand-opening activities," said Jena Johnson, director of brand strategies and community engagement at the Glenview Park District. "All of these activities require registration so we can ensure small groups and physical distancing on-site, but they are all free."

The free activities include public skating, figure skating and hockey trials, during which anyone 4 and older can take their first strides on the ice with the guidance of a staff member, and hockey skills competitions.

"Our goal was to provide residents an opportunity to come and experience the facility for themselves during our grand reopening month," Johnson said.

For a full schedule of tours and activities or to register, visit glenviewparks.org. For more information, visit the website, the Facebook page or call (847) 724-2800.

  Brian Montgomery, manager of program services at the Glenview Community Ice Center in Glenview, views construction progress from the stands overlooking what will be the new ice sheet in June while the renovations were still underway. The concrete for the new ice sheet had been poured just about two weeks before this photo over Memorial Day weekend. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com, June 2020
  The Glenview Community Ice Center, 1851 Landwehr Road, Glenview, reopens with a ribbon cutting and free activities this week after a 15-month, $30.3 million renovation. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com, June 2020
  This stairway goes from the lobby to the stands and facilities on the upper level at the Glenview Community Ice Center. The facility is celebrating its grand reopening a ribbon-cutting Saturday and a month of free activities. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com, June 2020
  Hockey boards rest on the floor of the original rink in June, while construction was still underway at the Glenview Community Ice Center. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com, June 2020
  This is what a view of construction progress from the stands looked like at the Glenview Ice Center in mid-June. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com, June 2020
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