DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Two years ago, Hermantown residents voted to raise sales taxes by half of a percent. The result is a new $24 million state-of-the-art hockey arena that is nearing completion.
Construction on the new NorthStar Ford Arena is set to finish up the week of Dec. 15.
Tuesday, Northern News Now got an inside look at the progress being made.
Hundreds of hockey players currently use the existing sheet of ice in Hermantown, but they say this new arena is set to change the game.
“Seeing the kids rally around it, we all know it’s coming and we all know there’s going to be some pressure to perform in that building,” senior Hermantown boys hockey player Bode Madill said.
But it’s difficult to find time for hundreds of youth and high school players to get practice time on just one sheet of ice, so athletes have been traveling elsewhere to get on the ice.
“We have to go to Carlton and Mars at 9 p.m. at night to get ice and then we’re getting home at midnight, which isn’t good on a school night,” another senior player, Ford Skytta, said.
The Hermantown boys hockey head coach, Patrick Andrews, agrees. He said the arena that already exists is hitting max capacity nearly 24 hours a day.
“Honest to God, I’m not joking. It’s almost 365 days a year and 20 hours a day,” Anderson said.
So, with a second sheet of ice coming in the new arena, it’ll bring some welcome change for both players and parents.
“They can still get to bed early, and still be a great human and student. Then they can come to the rink the next day and do it over again, instead of having to travel so far to get ice,” Andrews said.
Andrews said estimates show tens of millions of dollars in economic impact for every season the new arena is in use.
“Now we can safely, easily host 12 to 16 team tournaments, which then brings in a lot of outside of our community revenue in from people coming up from the cities or the greater Minnesota area.”
The ice in the new arena has already been booked out for an entire year.
The arena will also feature concessions, a walking track, and a physical therapy space. You can find more information about the facility at the NorthStar Ford Arena website.
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