PANORAMA CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center in Panorama City is a treasured staple in the San Fernando Valley, largely because it’s home to the California Heat, a youth hockey club.
But families tell ABC7 they just learned from the ice rink’s manager that the building will soon be demolished.
Young players who frequent the facility are devastated.
“I’ve played at this rink my whole life so it’s going to be sad to see it go,” said 12-year-old Abram Wall.
It’s the only practice facility 17-year-old George Sulyan has known. He said it’s where he learned to be a man.
Jared McBride says his 6-year-old just started practicing with the club.
“It’s just been a really special place to watch him grow, both on and off the ice. Become more mature, more responsible, build more relationships with other kids,” he said.
Parents and coaches say the facility is slated to be torn down on May 1, which is right in the middle of the team’s practice program. They added Los Angeles County has less than a dozen ice skating rinks, and access is limited.
“We can’t just walk in anywhere and book ice, there are other teams and other organizations that are using ice sheets. So It’s not an unlimited resource,” said Daniel Vitale, director of goal tending for the California Heat youth hockey program.
According to a city permit application, the site will become a senior care facility.
Parents and the community are calling on city leaders to find a way to save the ice center. An online petition has nearly 5,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We don’t want them stuck on iPads and we don’t want them just sitting and watching TV. What are we doing with our kids when we are taking away these places,” said parent Abbey Wall.
Some parents estimate they will lose around $600 for practice programs they paid for in advance.
Eyewitness News reached out to the general manager of the facility for comment, but has not heard back.
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