The Santa Clarita City Council is expected to consider acquiring Ice Station Valencia, the 93,000-square-foot ice facility that has served the community for the past two decades.
At its scheduled 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday, their first following the summer hiatus, council members will discuss specifics of a possible $14.2-million acquisition of the two-story facility sitting on 4.39 acres of land, according to the city agenda report released Thursday.
The total cost, including escrow and capital improvements, would amount to $14.49 million.
“The primary use of the Ice Station would continue to be as a hub for ice skating, hockey and recreation skating, but in addition there would be occasions to supplement the use of the facility for economic development opportunities,” the city said in a news release.
Should the purchase take place, the facility would “provide additional event space for local and regional events, provide local businesses and residents with a desired amenity, and develop a larger public facility to increase local hotel patronage and induce visitor spending, with the goal of boosting economic activity and generating local tax revenues to support the community,” city officials added.
The announcement comes after City Council members held a closed session meeting in early July to discuss property negotiations. Ice Station owner Roger Perez had fought to prevent a permanent closure, but no deals had been signed despite many potential buyers, including, at one point, the Los Angeles Kings, according to Perez in a previous interview.
In late April, dozens of members of the community rallied to save the ice rink, located on Smyth Drive in Valencia, sharing what the rink meant to them. Many had even called in during the April 28 City Council meeting, urging council members to preserve the property as an ice skating rink and help with negotiations.
