DE PERE (NBC 26) — The De Pere Common Council has decided against using taxpayer dollars to fund major renovations at the historic De Pere Ice Arena, leaving users and community groups to help raise money for needed repairs.
The facility, which has served as a community staple since 1974, requires significant maintenance work.
On Wednesday, the city council rejected two renovation options estimated at $2 million and $4 million, respectively, because the projects would be primarily taxpayer funded.
"We don't want to commit full taxpayer dollars toward this, but we surely will help any way we can," De Pere Mayor James Boyd said.
Only about 27 percent of the rink's users are De Pere residents, Boyd says, making it difficult to justify asking city taxpayers to cover the full cost of renovations.
Katie Naniot lives in Bellevue, but she says her family visits De Pere frequently for the arena.
"Ice skating is something that I know we look forward to as a family every year, and if they no longer had that, it would be very disappointing," said Naniot.
Users like Naniot say the facility needs some upgrades, including renovations to make the site accessible for people with disabilities.
Instead of funding those projects through taxpayer dollars, however, the city is pursuing a collaborative approach that will require user groups to take on more responsibility for the facility's future.
"This is the route that we decided to go with for the facility, with the hope that it stays around for quite some time," Boyd explained.
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User groups plan to help sell advertising and fundraise for top-priority repairs, including a new dehumidification system, electric panels and the accessibility improvements.
Accessibility is particularly important to Naniot,whose daughter is wheelchair bound and currently unable to participate in ice activities.
"The older kids have offered to take her out on the ice and push her around in her chair, and it'd be nice if she could be included," remarked Naniot.
Boyd indicated that private donors may also contribute to making the renovations possible, and the city will consider incrementally raising the rink’s user fees to further support repairs as needs arise.
The rink currently has about $100,000 in funds available to address some high-priority repairs this year, while users work with the city to raise additional money.
