Community Parks and Recreation Leadership Working Together to Address Ice Arena Needs

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Leadership from the City of Morgantown, Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation Commission (BOPARC), and Mylan Park are actively engaged in discussions to address the community’s needs regarding ice facilities. There are conversations about creating an additional ice facility to expand programming capabilities for ice sports locally.

“We are committed to looking at how BOPARC can make more reasonable improvements to the Morgantown Ice Arena for general community use while Mylan Park researches the feasibility of construction of a new event and tournament-based facility,” said Danielle Trumble, President of BOPARC. “The hope is that these facilities would complement each other to serve everyone within our community.”

The current Morgantown Ice Arena is utilized for various programs, including hockey, figure skating and public skating – all events that require ice space but not necessarily large spectator seating and sight lines.

The additional ice arena, if located at Mylan Park, would allow for a more accessible facility with ample space to accommodate large groups, while renovations to the Morgantown Ice Arena could focus on community recreation that does not require as much seating and parking.

“On behalf of Mylan Park, we look forward to the opportunity to work with BOPARC and the City of Morgantown to explore potential opportunities of how to best serve our community,” said Ron Justice, president of the Mylan Park Foundation Board of Directors. “We are hopeful that, together, we can create a solution that not only meets community members’ needs but improves the quality of life, and overall health and wellness on a local level.”

Over the next six months, the City of Morgantown, BOPARC and Mylan Park plan to gain more input from user groups, analyze costs versus benefits, and determine what the potential end-product of the facility or facilities should look like.

The community’s support and patience are both appreciated and necessary for the planning discussions. Local parks and recreation leadership looks forward to providing an enhanced experience for our public skaters, figure skaters and hockey players.

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